Hellbender Harm Reduction

08/07/2026

On HRT? Hellbender is happy to help!

Gender-affirming hormone therapy is important, life-saving care. If you are taking hormones and want free supplies and information, Hellbender is here for you! We have tools to help with intramuscular and sub-Q injection routes. See us Thursdays from 2-8pm when our drop-in is open.

07/27/2026

Your recovery is your choice.
Your recovery is your journey.
Your recovery is YOURS.

There are many pathways to recovery.
Every path starts with positive change.
But none are identical.

Don't let shame define you.
Don't look down on how you've survived.
Allow yourself to walk the path you need to today.

07/06/2026

Harm Reduction empowers ANY POSITIVE CHANGE.

To understand what this means, here are some examples of what it can look like in the drop-in center:

-Getting tested, knowing your status, and connecting to care
-Picking up naloxone and learning how to prevent fatal overdose
-Accessing clean tools to prevent abscesses or endocarditis
-Learning basic first-aid to manage soft-skin tissue infections
-Picking up fresh food to bring back to your family who need it
-Picking up Plan B and condoms to prevent unexpected pregnancy
-Taking a pregnancy test and figuring out what resources can help
-Asking about MAT for helping getting on suboxone or methadone
-Finding a recovery housing or shelter option to get off the street
-Opening up about wanting treatment, and finding help to get there
-Sharing that you left treatment and accessing tools to stay safe

Only you know what change you need to make in your life.

When you start to see the positive changes you are making, you will learn how truly capable you are.💚💚💚

06/12/2026

COMPASSION is critical to overdose response.

That’s one of the reasons we offer ReVive at Hellbender Harm Reduction.

When you’re using opioids daily and experience overdose, receiving naloxone will put you into withdrawal. More naloxone = more withdrawal.

Compassionate overdose response is bringing people back safely — while decreasing the risk of unnecessary pain and harm.

ReVive contains 3mg of naloxone instead of 4mg, which is the standard dosage of most nasal sprays. Lower dosage = less intense withdrawal.

Here at Hellbender, you can pick up ReVive, intramuscular naloxone, nasal 4mg naloxone, rescue breathing masks, and test strips — all the tools to prevent fatal overdose!

✨✨Compassion is critical!✨✨

06/05/2026

HHR's Allie at MorganScott Project Thrift Store!

Allie saves lives by mailing naloxone across in the state of Tennessee as a NEXT Distro affliate.

If you think you are likely to be present for an opioid overdose and live in Tennessee, you can fill out this form to request naloxone by mail, or visit us in Knoxville! https://nextdistro.typeform.com/to/D24hW5cT =HELLBENDER

Today at MSP..

https://nextdistro.typeform.com/to/D24hW5cT?typeform-source=uniqo.de =HELLBENDER

06/01/2026

Did you know that RESCUE BREATHING saves lives?

The biggest risk in an opioid overdose is lack of oxygen. When someone overdoses on an opioid, like fentanyl, their breathing becomes slow and shallow -- sometimes they stop breathing completely. This means they stop getting oxygen. Without oxygen, the body starts shutting down.

Naloxone reverses opioids, but it can take about 2-3 minutes to work. During this time, give rescue breaths! This helps someone who isn’t breathing still get oxygen.

Rescue breathing can also help if you don’t have naloxone available right away. If you recognize that someone is in an opioid overdose emergency but your naloxone isn’t handy, start helping by performing rescue breathing. You can continue to use rescue breathing until someone is able to bring naloxone on-scene and/or emergency services arrive.

Want to learn more about rescue breathing & overdose reversal? Reach out to Hellbender Harm Reduction!

For a video reference on overdose reversal with rescue breathing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUtYpbdUSus

05/22/2026

Everyone wants to know about "that one that starts with an M" - that's MEDETOMIDINE, and it seems to be popping up in the local drug supply in East Tennessee.

Like xylazine, medetomidine is a sedative drug normally used as a tranquilizer for animals. Medetomidine is not an opioid, but it is almost always mixed with fentanyl in the street drug supply. It will can make people very sleepy and sometimes puts people to sleep for long periods of time. It also lowers blood pressure and heart rate.

Since medetomidine is usually mixed with fentanyl, if you suspect someone is overdosing, still use naloxone! Naloxone will still help reverse the effects of fentanyl in the overdose. Naloxone only works on opiates, so the person overdosing may still be drowsy or seem sedated. You want to focus on BREATHING more than responsiveness if medetomidine is involved -- make sure the person's breathing is restored to a normal rate.

The big risk with medetomidine is withdrawal when used regularly. Since medetomidine is decreasing heart rate and blood pressure, stopping after using regularly will cause a spike in both. People will sometimes need to go to the hospital for medetomidine withdrawal, as it can be potentially deadly. If you think you're experiencing medetomidine withdrawal symptoms and you can't stop throwing up, have chest pain, are going in and out of responding (even while being awake), or are noticing your symptoms are much more severe than they've been before, you should go to the hospital.

If you have more questions, Hellbender Harm Reduction is here to for you! Stop by on Thursdays when our drop-in is open to chat and learn more.

Thanks to Substance Use Philly for the information, you can find more by visiting their website here: www.substanceusephilly.com/medetomidine

05/21/2026

Rain ☔️ or shine ☀️, our drop in is open on Thursdays from 2 - 8 pm! Stop by for services at our drop in, 3317 N Broadway in Knoxville, and say hi! ☺️