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Naloxone is an over-the-counter nasal spray medication that can save an overdose victim by quickly reversing the effects of fentanyl, heroin, and other opioids.
Doctors urge everyone, especially those who have prescription opioids at home or a substance abuser in the home, to have naloxone in their first aid kits or even in their bags. Anyone can experience an opioid emergency, including young children who accidentally swallow the drugs.
Naloxone is sold under brand names such as Narcan and RiVive. It can be purchased online or at major pharmacies for between $30 and $45 a kit. Each kit contains two nasal spray applicators. Sometimes multiple doses must be given.
Many health departments and community groups give away kits, no questions asked. A web search for “free naloxone” returned hundreds of results.
Dr. Bonnie Milas, a critical care anesthesiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, uses fentanyl in combination with other medications to treat critically ill patients. He also lost two children to an accidental fentanyl overdose. She is the face of the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ program, which offers an instructional video and other guidance on how to use naloxone to revive an overdose victim.
Milas often talks about his experience with groups of people who have lost loved ones to fentanyl. “I tell them that they should not have any feeling of guilt or responsibility,” he says. “They tried. You tried. And in the end, the outcome was out of your control… But you did the best you could. And I think you should really take comfort in knowing that you did what you could.
(By Maurice Tamman. Edited by Michael Williams)
