Naloxone Saves Lives
Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose and restore breathing. Knowing where to find it, how to recognize an overdose, and how to respond can help you act during an emergency.
It can reverse overdoses involving fentanyl, heroin, and prescription opioids. Its effects are temporary, so emergency medical care is still necessary even when someone begins to respond.
What Is Naloxone and How Does It Work?
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, a medication that blocks the effects of opioids such as fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone. It attaches to opioid receptors and can reverse slowed or stopped breathing caused by an opioid overdose.
Naloxone does not produce a high and has no potential for misuse. It may cause sudden withdrawal symptoms in someone who is physically dependent on opioids.
Because naloxone can wear off before the opioids involved, breathing problems may return and additional doses may be needed.
Call 911 immediately when an overdose is suspected, even if the person responds to naloxone.
Learn more from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Why Naloxone Access Matters
Having naloxone nearby gives a family member, friend, coworker, or other bystander a way to respond during the critical minutes of an opioid overdose while emergency help is on the way.
Keep it somewhere accessible and make sure others know where it is. Review the product instructions before an emergency occurs, check expiration dates, and follow its storage requirements.
A person experiencing an overdose usually cannot administer naloxone to themselves. People around them need to know how to recognize an overdose and respond.
Recognizing an Opioid Overdose
Signs of an opioid overdose may include:
Loss of consciousness or inability to wake up
Slow, shallow, irregular, or stopped breathing
Choking, gurgling, or unusual snoring sounds in someone who cannot be awakened
Small, constricted “pinpoint” pupils
A limp body
Discoloration of the lips, fingernails, or skin
If you suspect an opioid overdose, act immediately using the steps below. You do not need to see every warning sign before responding.
If you are uncertain whether opioids are involved, give naloxone if available. It will not reverse an overdose caused solely by other substances, but it can help when opioids are involved.
See the CDC’s 5 Things to Know About Naloxone.
Responding to a Suspected Opioid Overdose
Give naloxone if available and call 911 immediately. Follow the product instructions. If another person is present, one can call while the other administers naloxone.
Help maintain breathing. If the person is unresponsive and is not breathing normally, follow the dispatcher’s instructions for CPR or rescue breathing. Do not wait for naloxone to work before helping with breathing.
Repeat naloxone as directed. If normal breathing has not returned after 2–3 minutes, give another dose using a new nasal spray device, following the product instructions. Additional doses may be necessary. If breathing problems return after an initial response, give another dose as directed.
Place the person on their side once they are breathing normally, particularly if they remain drowsy or unconscious, to reduce choking risk.
Stay until emergency responders arrive. Breathing problems can return after naloxone wears off. A response to naloxone does not mean the emergency is over.
If naloxone is unavailable, call 911 immediately and follow the dispatcher’s instructions. Do not delay emergency assistance while searching for medication.
Learn more from the CDC’s overdose-response guidance.
Who Should Carry Naloxone?
Anyone who might witness an opioid overdose can carry naloxone. It is especially important for people who:
Use opioids such as fentanyl or heroin
Take higher-dose prescription opioids
Use opioids together with benzodiazepines or other sedating substances
Have a history of opioid overdose or opioid use disorder
Have reduced opioid tolerance after a period of not using
Family members, friends, caregivers, and others who spend time with someone at risk should also consider carrying it.
First responders, outreach workers, shelter staff, and others who may encounter an overdose can benefit from having naloxone available and learning how to use it.
Read more about lifesaving naloxone from the CDC.
Where Can You Get Naloxone?
Some naloxone nasal sprays, including Narcan, are available over the counter without a prescription. Other formulations may require a prescription or be available through local distribution programs.
Depending on your location, you may find naloxone through:
Pharmacies
Local health departments
Community overdose-prevention programs
Syringe services programs
Retail stores and online retailers
Cost and availability vary. Some public health programs and community organizations provide naloxone at little or no cost.
A pharmacist or local health department can help explain available products and where to obtain them.
See the CDC’s naloxone access information.
After Naloxone: What Comes Next
Emergency medical evaluation remains necessary after naloxone, even when someone wakes up or appears to recover. Its effects can wear off while opioids remain in the body.
After emergency care, an assessment can help identify appropriate ongoing treatment. Options may include medication for opioid use disorder, withdrawal management, residential treatment, outpatient care, and other recovery services.
Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone are evidence-based medications for opioid use disorder. The appropriate medication and timing depend on an individual’s clinical needs.
Naloxone reverses an overdose; it does not treat opioid use disorder. Detox alone also does not replace ongoing treatment. Connecting with care after an overdose is an opportunity to address continued use and reduce future risk.
Exploring Treatment at Salterra
Salterra OC Detox & Treatment provides licensed alcohol and drug detox and residential treatment in Dana Point, Orange County.
Our private six-bed program offers 24/7 staff care, ongoing withdrawal observation, and provider-directed medication management. Evaluation for medication-assisted treatment is part of care for every client with opioid addiction.
Our admissions team can explain available services and help determine whether Salterra may be an appropriate level of care.
For a suspected overdose or another immediate medical emergency, call 911.