Naloxone: An Opportunity for Another Chance

• Naloxone is an antidote for reversal of opioid-induced respiratory and central nervous system depression.
• Naloxone accessibility is expanding beyond clinical settings to the community.
• Naloxone should be available to anyone with a prescription opioid, abusers of opioids/heroin, and their family members or friends.
• Naloxone may be administered during an overdose via intranasal or intramuscular routes.

Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, used clinically for decades, is now becoming available in the homes of those with potential for opioid overdose. When opioid levels are too high, respiratory depression occurs. This can be temporarily reversed with naloxone, extending survival until medical help can arrive. By providing patients with naloxone information, an overdose victim's family or friends can potentially save their life. Information highlighted includes the need for naloxone, how opioids and naloxone work in the body, what an overdose looks like, the forms of naloxone with directions for use, and what needs to be done in an overdose.