YONKERS, N.Y. (February 11, 2016) – The drug Naloxone, or Narcan, is reportedly responsible for reversing the almost fatal overdose of rapper/actor DMX Monday night. 45 year old Earl Simmons, known by his stage names DMX and Dark Man X, was reportedly injected with the drug and brought back after he was found at a Ramada Inn without a pulse and had stopped breathing. A spokesperson for the rapper says the collapse was caused by an asthma attack, while a friend told the Yonkers Police Department DMX had passed out after taking a “powdered drug”. However, experts tell us Naloxone only interacts with opioids, and is not known to be used for an asthma attack. 
“It’s a reversal drug used basically to reverse an anesthetic,” says nurse practitioner Mary Moody, SNP-BC, APRN of Vertava Health. “I’ve never heard of it being used for asthma in any shape or form. It works against different chemicals that someone has overdosed on. The only thing I’ve known it to be prescribed for is an antidote in an overdose.” The prescription opioid epidemic has seen a quadrupled death rate in the United States since the turn of the century, and many states have passed laws to expand access to Naloxone as a preventative measure. 
Still, sources close to DMX tell the New York Daily News the incident was brought about by an “existing medical condition”. The rapper was reportedly released Tuesday morning and is recovering at the home of ex-wife Tashera Simmons. During his first of 3 incarcerations in 2010, she and the rapper, known best for his hit “Party Up (Up in Here)” and his role alongside Jet Li and Aaliyah in “Romeo Must Die”, announced their separation, and have reportedly remained friends. His lawyer told press he was admitted for 6 hours and “bounced right back”. But reports say DMX was revived only after being administered the anti-overdose drug. This is one example of thousands that have been saved by this drug. Vertava Health is meeting with Adapt Pharmaceuticals and nonprofit groups next week to talk about ways to distribute it the drug and train communities on when and how to properly administer it. DMX has posted on social media several times since the incident, and recording artist Swizz Beatz Tweeted that he was good in in great spirits. There are no plans to cancel his concert scheduled for this Saturday in Reading, Pennsylvania. 
Rapper/Actor DMX Revived by Overdose Reversal Drug, Narcan
