Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. It is a safe and easy to use medication that you can get over-the-counter at most pharmacies. 

• It is impossible to abuse naloxone as its only job is to reverse opioid overdoses.
• Naloxone is only effective on opioids (heroin, OxyContin, Vicodin, fentanyl, etc.)
• If naloxone is given to a person who has not overdosed on an opioid it will not hurt them.
• Persons dependent on opioids who are given naloxone will experience opioid withdrawal.
• In any overdose situation, 911 should be called and naloxone should be administered if opioids are involved or suspected to have been involved.
• In 2011, a “Good Samaritan Law” (Public Act 11-210) was passed in an attempt to address people’s unwillingness to call 911 for an overdose situation. This law protects people who call 911 seeking emergency medical services for an overdose from arrest for possession of drugs/paraphernalia.

How does naloxone work?
When a person takes an opioid, it enters the brain and attaches to “opioid receptors” that give the user a “hit” or a “high”. The Naloxone goes to those same opioid receptors, removes the drug, and binds to the receptors to block the effects from the opioid. It is fast acting but is also short acting; meaning it does the job quickly but may not last longer than the opioids that are still in the body. After about 30 to 90 minutes the naloxone will wear off. It is possible that the person may go into an overdose situation again; therefore, it is important to call 911 any time you give naloxone.

What to do in an opioid overdose

Minutes count in an opioid overdose. If you think someone has overdosed, follow these steps:

1. Check for signs of an overdose

• Unusual Sleepiness, hard to arouse
• Skin is pale, cold or clammy 
• Pupils are tiny
• Breathing is slow or absent
• Slow Heartbeat
• Nail or lips are blue

 2. Call 911

Tell the dispatcher where you are and that someone is not breathing or is unconscious.

Don’t be afraid to call 911 for help!

If you can’t stay until 911 help arrives, place the person on their side, and where first responders can find them.

3. Administer Naloxone (Narcan)

1. Lay the person on their back.   
2. Remove Narcan from the packaging

3. Hold with the thumb on the plunger and fingers on the side of the nozzle

4. Tilt the person’s head back
5. Insert the tip of the nozzle into one nostril until your fingers touch the nostril

6. Press the plunger firmly
7. Remove the device from their nostril          
8. Move the person to their side in the recovery position                       

Naloxone can take 2-3 minutes to work. If the person is not breathing start giving rescue breaths.

If the person is still not breathing after 2-3 minutes, give a second dose of naloxone.

4. Rescue Breathing

1. Tilt head back, lift chin and pinch nose
2. Give a full breath. Their chest should rise when you exhale
3. Give 1 breath every 5 seconds

• If the person wakes up and starts breathing, place them on their side. Stay with them until 911 arrives.

• If the person is still not breathing after the second dose of Naloxone, continue rescue breathing until the person wakes up or medical help arrives.

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