Narcan is the trade name for naloxone nasal spray, which reverses an opioid overdose. Naloxone also comes as an injection, but the spray was made for bystanders, so no training is needed. Opioid overdoses can turn fatal within minutes, which is why keeping a kit within reach matters.
How Narcan Works
Opioids attach to receptors in the brain and slow breathing until it stops. Naloxone binds to those receptors more tightly and pushes the opioids off, so breathing returns, usually within minutes. In someone who is opioid dependent, that sudden reversal can bring on withdrawal. Expect body aches, anxiety, sweating, and agitation. Withdrawal is miserable, but it is not life-threatening, and it is far better than the alternative. Narcan is also safe when you guess wrong. If the person is not overdosing on opioids, the medication does no harm, so give it any time an opioid overdose is suspected. Most reversals now involve fentanyl, so it helps to understand how a fentanyl overdose differs from fentanyl poisoning.
How Narcan Is Used In Harm Reduction
Harm reduction programs put Narcan where overdoses actually happen: with people who use opioids, their families, and their neighbors. It is crisis intervention that anyone can carry out. Watch for slow or absent breathing and a person you cannot wake. Call 911 first, then spray one dose into one nostril. If you are trained in rescue breathing, give breaths while you wait for help. Most kits hold two doses, because high doses and drug mixtures sometimes need more than one. If there is no response after two to three minutes, give a second dose with a new device in the other nostril. Naloxone can also wear off before the opioid does, so breathing can slow again. Stay with the person and do not leave them alone. If they start breathing on their own, roll them onto their side so they cannot choke. Paramedics can give further doses and monitor vital signs. In most states pharmacies sell it without a prescription, and harm reduction groups and public health departments hand it out free.
