Naloxone: Price, Dosage & Where to Buy

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, a medicine that blocks the effects of opioids, and is used for emergency treatment of a suspected opioid overdose. It can help revive someone after an overdose involving many prescription pain medicines or street drugs such as heroin, but emergency medical assistance and continued observation are still needed even if the person wakes up.

Naloxone is used in an emergency to help revive someone during an overdose involving opioids. The label includes overdoses from many prescription pain medicines and street drugs such as heroin. Signs described in the label include someone not waking up, being very sleepy or not breathing well.

This medicine can save a life, but waking up does not mean the emergency has ended. The label calls for immediate emergency medical assistance after the initial dose and for someone to stay with the person until an ambulance arrives.

Naloxone works as an opioid antagonist. Opioids act on receptors, which are attachment sites on cells involved in effects such as pain relief, sleepiness and slowed breathing. Naloxone attaches to these receptors and blocks opioids from activating them, helping reverse their effects during an overdose.

Its action can wear off while an opioid is still active in the body, so sleepiness and breathing problems can return. This explains why continued observation and emergency medical care remain necessary after a person wakes up.

The label lists nasal products with strengths including 3 mg/0.1 mL, 4 mg/0.1 mL, 4 mg/0.25 mL, 8 mg/0.1 mL and 10 mg/0.11 mL. The label lists injectable products with strengths including 0.4 mg/mL, 1 mg/mL, 5 mg/0.5 mL and 10 mg/0.4 mL. The label lists 1 dose in each nasal spray device, with each device spraying only once.

The label lists repeat nasal doses every 2-3 minutes if the person does not wake up, and another dose if marked sleepiness returns. The nasal spray directions specify use in the nose only and state that the device should not be tested before use. Emergency medical assistance and observation until the ambulance arrives are part of the labelled emergency response.

Naloxone is an emergency treatment rather than a regularly scheduled medicine, so routine missed-dose advice does not apply. A suspected opioid overdose needs an immediate emergency response. The label describes further treatment if the person does not wake up or becomes very sleepy again, with continued observation until an ambulance arrives.

The label does not specify pregnancy or breastfeeding data. Discuss use during pregnancy or breastfeeding with a doctor or pharmacist. Naloxone is described as an emergency treatment for opioid overdose, and emergency medical assistance remains necessary.

No storage conditions are listed for this product. Keep the medicine in its original packaging, out of the sight and reach of children, and follow the storage directions on the pack to maintain quality.