Naloxone (Narcan™)

Narcan™ and naloxone are the same. Narcan™ is a brand name for naloxone.

Yes. The American Medical Association (AMA) adopted new policies on June 16, 2016, which encourage physicians to co-prescribe naloxone to patients at risk of an overdose as part of efforts to reverse the country’s opioid overdose epidemic. Also included in the new policy was the promotion of timely and appropriate access to non-opioid and non-pharmacologic treatments for pain and support efforts to delink payments to healthcare facilities with patient satisfaction scores relating to the evaluation and management of pain.

Research studies have investigated this common concern and found that making naloxone available does NOT encourage people to use opioids more. The goal of distributing naloxone and educating people about how to prevent, recognize and intervene in overdoses is to prevent deaths. Other goals, such as decreasing drug use, can only be accomplished if the user is alive. Naloxone saves lives, giving the individual an opportunity to find recovery.

Aaron’s Law is designed to remove all barriers for an individual to assist a person experiencing an opioid-related overdose. Similar to the immunity provided to those who administer CPR, use AEDs, or use auto-injectable epinephrine, Aaron’s Law provides individuals or entities immunity from civil liability for obtaining naloxone and administering it in good faith as long as the individual or entity does not act grossly negligently or commit willful misconduct.

Read Aaron’s Law overview from IUPUI Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health

A person experiencing an opioid overdose will be unresponsive to a sternal rub, can’t be awakened, can’t talk, may have pinpoint pupils, blueish lips or fingertips, vomiting, gurgling or choking noises or have slow breath/respiration or heartbeat.

Naloxone can be given intravenously (IV), intramuscularly (IM) [injection into the muscle of the shoulder, thigh] or with an intranasal (IN) [sprayed up the nose]. Intranasal delivery eliminates the risk of needle stick injury and potential infectious disease exposure from IV or IM. Studies have found that intranasal delivery is equally effective as IM delivery. Learn more about how to administer naloxone.

Naloxone does not require a prescription and can be administered by anyone to someone who is experiencing an opioid overdose.

​Naloxone generally works within about 5 minutes. Repeated doses may be necessary if a person is still showing signs of overdose, hence why it is important to call 911.

There is no maximum dose for naloxone, so it can be given every 2 to 3 minutes until the person wakes up and breathes normally. It is recommended that a professional help in this situation.

Naloxone medication only affects people using opioids. If a person is not having an overdose but has been using opioids, naloxone will put them into immediate withdrawal, which can be very uncomfortable for the person but not life-threatening.

In the past, EMS protocols called for an initial dose of up to 5 times as powerful as that given in current Opioid Rescue kits. This increased the likelihood of immediate withdrawal symptoms when the person went from unconscious and near death to stone-cold sober in a matter of seconds. Today, Opioid Rescue kits are designed to gradually revive a person by restoring breathing until medical personnel can arrive and take over.

In rare situations where someone is sensitive to naloxone, they will likely experience only a rash or other non-serious allergic reaction.

If a family member or bystander notices that a person’s breathing has slowed, stopped or an overdose is suspected, naloxone can act as a bridge between the call to 911 and when help arrives to keep the person breathing. Every person responds differently to opioids, and often, the concentration of the opioid varies or is unknown. Based on these variables, a person may re-enter an overdose when the initial dose of naloxone wears off. Hence, the individual must receive medical attention as it can be life-threatening.

With all naloxone formulations, it is important to check the expiration date (which can be found on the vial/tube) and keep it from light. Naloxone should not be exposed to extreme temperatures (read The effects of heat and freeze-thaw cycling on naloxone stability report).

*Naloxone expiration dates and storage conditions were updated in August 2020. For more details, read Shelf Life Extension and Updated Storage Conditions and Naloxone Potentially Viable Decades Past Expiration Date. 

Download Rescue Breathing Instructions PDF

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