What is Naloxone?

Naloxone (brand name Narcan or Evzio) is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine. Often given as a nasal spray, Naloxone is safe and easy to use.

Naloxone quickly reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids. It can restore normal breathing within 2 to 3 minutes in a person whose breath has slowed, or even stopped, as a result of opioid overdose. More than one dose of Naloxone may be required when stronger opioids like fentanyl are involved.

Saving a Life

Recognizing an opioid overdose can be difficult. If you aren’t sure, it is best to treat the situation like an overdose—you could save a life. Call 911 or seek medical care for the individual. Naloxone will not harm someone if they’re overdosing on drugs other than opioids or if they aren’t experiencing an overdose.

Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose and save lives. It is available in all 50 states and can be purchased from a local pharmacy without a prescription in most states.

Recognizing the signs of opioid overdose can save a life. Here are some things to look for:

  • Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”
  • Falling asleep or losing consciousness
  • Slow, weak, or no breathing
  • Choking or gurgling sounds
  • Limp body
  • Cold and/or clammy skin
  • Discolored skin (especially in lips and nails)

What To Do If You Think Someone is Overdosing

  1. Call 911 ImmediatelyNew Jersey has the Overdose Prevention Act to protect a person who is overdosing or the person who called for help from legal trouble.
  2. Administer Naloxone, if available.
  3. Try to keep the person awake and breathing.
  4. Lay the person on their side to prevent choking.
  5. Stay with the person until emergency assistance arrives.

Getting Naloxone

You do not need a prescription to get Naloxone in a New Jersey pharmacy. Most CVS and Walgreen pharmacies carry Naloxone. Call ahead with your insurance details to request information about your co-pay.

If the pharmacy has any questions please refer them to N.J. Stat. § 24:6J-1 that legalized the distribution of Naloxone without a prescription.

You can use websites like GoodRx to use coupons to buy Naloxone at a lower price.

If you are unable to access Naloxone, New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition will mail intramuscular Naloxone to individuals who watch a brief training video and enroll using this site.

Getting recovery Support

Get access to a peer recovery specialist and connect one on one with peer-to-peer recovery.

Naloxone Training

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School offers free public trainings six times per month in New Jersey. Training attendees who are 18 years of age and older will also receive a free Naloxone kit after attending the training.

Virtual Reality Narcan Training

Leaders from CADCA and Walmart approached Prevention Resources to host a Virtual Reality Narcan training to highlight the various situations that can result in an overdose.

We were joined by Kelly Levy, Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey and Acting Director of New Jersey Cares; Susan Gibson, Special Agent in Charge for New Jersey, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Renee Robeson, Hunterdon County Prosecutor, Frank Emanuele, a patrolman and trained EMT with the Flemington Borough Police Department; and Lesley Gabel, Co-CEO of Prevention Resources, Inc.