Naloxone/Narcan is a medicine that temporarily reverses the effects of an opiate overdose to prevent death. Opiates include drugs like oxycodone, codeine, fentanyl and heroin. If a person uses too much of an opiate, an overdose can happen.

To reduce the likelihood of an overdose:

• Never use alone. You are safer together
• Always carry Naloxone/Narcan
• Stagger use within your group
• Have a plan
• Try to use one substance at a time
• Do a test dose
• Use sterile supplies to prepare and administer your drugs
• Smoke or snort instead of injecting (injecting carries the highest risk of overdose)
• Use slowly and carefully. Because fentanyl is so strong, a little goes a long way and overdose can occur quickly

Recognizing signs and symptoms of overdose

When you think someone has overdosed, you should check for signs and call 911 immediately.

Signs and symptoms of overdose:

• Slow or shallow breathing
• Gasping for air when sleeping or weird snoring
• Pale or bluish skin
• Slow heartbeat, low blood pressure
• Won't wake up or respond
• Pinpoint or small pupils

Call 911 immediately. Naloxone can wear off and the victim can fall back into an overdose state

Airway/breathing assessment & rescue breathing 

• Put one hand on the person's chin, tilt their head back and pinch nose closed. 
• Make seal over mouth, breathe into mouth, 1 breath every 5 seconds
• Give two breaths and then give the first dose of Naloxone

Naloxone administration

• Pop off orange cap on the vial
• Take syringe out of wrapper and pull off safety cap
• Insert the needle into the vial
• Ensure the tip is in the liquid and pull all of the medication into the syringe
• Administer in muscle of the upper arm, thigh or buttocks
• Pull the needle straight out, don’t poke yourself
• It usually takes about 2 minutes to take effect 
• After first dose, give rescues breaths 
• If minimal or no improvement in breathing or responsiveness after 3 minutes, give 2nd dose of Naloxone 
• If minimal or no improvement in breathing or responsiveness after 3 minutes, give 3rd dose of Naloxone

Post-overdose follow-up and care  

After the Naloxone works and the person wakes up: 

• Make sure they get medical attention right away, naloxone can wear off and the victim can fall back into an overdose state
• Withdrawal is unpleasant; the victim may be agitated 
• Encourage survivors to seek treatment if they feel they have a problem
• The best place to store Naloxone is somewhere dark and dry, at room temperature

Fentanyl test strips

Fentanyl test strips can detect the presence of fentanyl in any drug batch, including non-opioids.

Measuring the sample
Prepare the drug for testing. Add sterile water to your prepared drug in a cup, cooker or baggie. 1 ml of water is about ¼ teaspoon. Insert test strip into the liquid, as indicated by arrows, up to the first line and hold for 15 seconds. Remove from liquid and wait 2-5 minutes for results.