How does overdose work

Many pharmacies carry naloxone. In some states, you can get naloxone from a pharmacist even if your doctor did not write you a prescription for it.

It is also possible to get naloxone from community-based distribution programs, local public health groups, or local health departments, free of charge. Visit the Naloxone finder website to see resources in your area. Check with your local pharmacy.

Some research suggests that when clinicians prescribe naloxone along with prescription opioids, the risk of opioid overdose decreases even if the naloxone prescription does not get filled. The naloxone prescription appears to serve as an important educational strategy. In August , a study showed that overall national rates for naloxone co-prescription along with any opioid increased among Medicare Part D patients.

This publication is available for your use and may be reproduced in its entirety without permission from NIDA. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. Drug Topics. More Drug Topics. Quick Links. About NIDA. Naloxone DrugFacts. What are some signs of an opioid overdose?

Tolerance vs. Dependence vs. Points to remember Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. It attaches to opioid receptors and reverses and blocks the effects of other opioids. Naloxone is a safe medicine. It only reverses overdoses in people with opioids in their systems.

There are two FDA-approved formulations of naloxone: injectable and prepackaged nasal spray. Department of Health and Human Services, and research funded by NIDA is developing strategies to identify people at risk and ensure they have access to naloxone in the event of an overdose.

A survey given to chronic pain patients receiving prescription opioids found that nearly 1 in 5 had experienced an overdose and more than half engaged in high-risk behaviors, including combining opioids with alcohol. An early study found that giving naloxone to patients on opioid therapy for chronic pain was associated with fewer opioid-related emergency department visits, especially among patients receiving high doses of prescription opioids.

This study will help to inform implementation efforts that can increase access to naloxone. NIDA-funded researchers are evaluating interventions to improve opioid prescribing practices, including the co-prescription of naloxone.

In , the CDC began recommending co-prescriptions in some cases, as detailed in guidance issued by HHS in and as codified in law by several states.

It is important to call emergency responders right away. Naloxone is only active in the body for 30 to 90 minutes and its effects could wear off before those of the opioids, causing the user to stop breathing again. People who are given naloxone should be observed constantly until emergency care arrives. Overdoses involving highly potent synthetic opioids e.

If respiratory function does not improve, naloxone doses may be repeated every two to three minutes. An overdose reversal is a critical opportunity to identify people with opioid use disorder and engage them in treatment. Naloxone can be purchased in many pharmacies, in many states, without bringing in a prescription. The majority of states allow prescribing and dispensing of naloxone to family members and friends in addition to people receiving prescription opioids for pain or with opioid use disorder.

To find naloxone in your area, go to the Naloxone Finder. From through , drug overdose deaths increased in both urban and rural communities. In , overdose death rates involving heroin and synthetic opioids were higher in urban areas, and those involving natural and semisynthetic opioids were higher in rural areas.

Based on pilot work in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, NIDA is supporting research in Appalachia that will identify community-specific factors that contribute to the high rates of opioid misuse, overdose deaths, and the related spread of infectious disease and will identify promising evidence-based prevention and treatment interventions — including naloxone provision for overdose treatment—to address these factors and improve public health outcomes.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to improve layperson naloxone access, and in most states, laypersons can receive naloxone from a pharmacy under a standing order i. Surgeon General called for heightened awareness and greater availability of naloxone. Current projects include assessing the implementation of pharmacy-based naloxone access and its association with opioid-overdose mortality rates; programs to scale up overdose education and naloxone distribution in community settings, pharmacies, and justice settings; pharmacy-focused training to increase naloxone dispensing to patients who may be at risk for opioid overdose; and use of naloxone by law enforcement and its impact on referrals to treatment and on the rates of use by witnesses of opioid overdose.

NIDA is funding research on the development of new longer-acting overdose-reversal medications to more effectively reverse overdose from powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Focusing on longer-action opioid antagonists, researchers are working to develop an intranasal formulation of nalmefene previously approved by the FDA in an injectable formulation and are examining the potential for methocinnamox MCAM as a longer-acting reversal agent.

Preliminary findings from NIDA-funded research show promise for a wearable device that can administer a large dose of naloxone when the device detects overdose-induced respiratory failure.

References Scholl L, S. Walley, A. BMJ, McClellan, C. Addictive Behaviors, Townsend, T. International Journal of Drug Policy, We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website.

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