National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse
Spread the Word...One Pill Can Kill
Naloxone Can Save Lives!
What is Naloxone?
Naloxone is an over-the-counter OTC) medication that can quickly reverse an overdose from either prescribed painkillers or illicit forms of opioids such as heroin and fentanyl. Naloxone is available in multiple forms, including intramuscular injection and nasal spray.
Naloxone does not affect someone who does not have opioids in their system, and it is not a treatment for opioid use disorder. It can be effective with both prescribed painkillers, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®) and hydrocodone (Vicodin®), as well as illicit opioids like heroin and fentanyl.
This informative video demonstrates how to recognize and respond to an opioid related overdose.
What is Naloxone?
NARCAN® Nasal Spray was the first an FDA-approved nasal formulation of naloxone to treat known or suspected opioid overdose. NARCAN® Nasal Spray is needle-free and ready to use.
To learn more about NARCAN®, visit the NARCAN® site by clicking here.
There are now multiple generic nasal spray Naloxone products on the market and they are generally less expensive than Narcan, which is a brand name of naloxone.
Why do I need Naloxone in my home?
If you have a prescription for opioid medication in your home, it is a good idea to have Naloxone on hand as a safety measure. Trained individuals can safely administer naloxone to anyone experiencing an opioid overdose or poisoning by opioids, including young children, infants and even pets.
Who should carry Naloxone?
NCAPDA recommends that everyone carry Naloxone with them at all times at home and in public. However, the following people are at higher risk of experiencing an opioid overdose and are especially encouraged to carry Naloxone:
- Persons living with active opioid use disorder as well as their family and friends
- Persons recently released from a residential substance use disorder treatment facility
- Persons with opioid use disorder who were recently released from jail or prison
- Persons taking high dosage opioids for management of chronic pain
When should I use Naloxone?
It is strongly recommended that Naloxone be administered to any person who shows signs of an opioid overdose. Naloxone is a benign medication and should be used whenever an opioid overdose is suspected. If the person is not overdosing on opioids or overdosing at all, Naloxone is still safe to use and will not affect the person. In California and most other states, Good Samaritan laws provide immunity to those who use Naloxone in good faith to reverse an overdose.
When in doubt, don’t be afraid to use it if overdose signs are present.
The DEA has developed an educational campaign “One Pill Can Kill” to alert the public about the dangers of fentanyl being laced into virtually every street drug including cocaine, heroin, menthamphetamine, etc. Counterfeit prescription drugs such as painkillers (Oxycodone, etc.), sedatives (Xanax, etc.) and stimulants (Adderall, etc.) that can easily be obtained through social media sites and fake on-line pharmacies can contain a potentially lethal amount of fentanyl that is considered to be aroube as small as 2mg for those who don’t have a high tolerance to opioids.
Because of the prevalence of fentanyl in the street drug supply, Naloxone should be administered to anyone who is believed to be overdosing as chances are high that fentanyl is the substance causing the overdose. As fentanyl is a highly potent opioid, 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, overdoses can happen quickly, and it is essential to administer Naloxone first and then call 911 to get medical support on site as soon as possible.
Where can I get naloxone?
Most pharmacies now carry Naloxone as an over-the-counter (OTC) medication. A prescription is no longer needed for it anywhere in the U.S. It may be possible to get Naloxone from community-based distribution programs, local public health groups, or local health departments free of charge.
Visit the Next Distro website to see what naloxone resources are available in your state and community.
If you are an eligible entity (non-profit organization, school/university, law enforcement agency, religious organization, first responder agency, etc.) in California, you are eligible to apply to receive free Naloxone and Fentanyl test strips from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). For more information on DHCS’s Naloxone Distribution Program, click here. To access the application, click here.
As an individual, you may request free Naloxone through Next Distro, which is an online nationwide Naloxone training and distribution service that ships Naloxone to you free of charge.
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