Find more resources and coverage on KSAT’s Fighting Fentanyl page.
There’s a life-saving medication that quickly reverses an opioid overdose, and right now it’s available to anyone for free.
Naloxone, sold under the brand names Narcan and Evzio, works if an individual is overdosing on heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications. The medication attaches to opioid receptors and blocks the effects of other opioids.
Naloxone can be administered through an injection or the nose. However, the nasal spray is the more popular form.
The website, More Narcan Please, allows you to request Narcan doses and have them mailed to your home.
According to the National Institutes of Health, naloxone only works in the body for 30 to 90 minutes. After receiving it, the individual should immediately receive medical attention.
The video below from the CDC explains how to administer the medication.
A local nonprofit, A Recovery Place, also offers training sessions, so that individuals can learn how to safely administer the medication.