Life-saving help: Naloxone

Lindsay Rice provides a naloxone demonstration at the Louisville Water Tower during a Rally for Recovery event. Photo: Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition

One effective tool in the struggle against opioids is naloxone. Sold commercially as Narcan, it can reverse the effects of opioids, especially during overdose. However, victims can overdose again within 30 to 90 minutes without reusing the original drug, so it is essential to get them to a hospital immediately. Naloxone kits contain two doses in case there is a delay in getting victims emergency care. Many police officers and other first responders started carrying naloxone over the last two years as the death rate from opioids increased.

Now, many high schools around the state are stocking naloxone as well. While it won’t cure addiction, it can keep someone on the brink of overdose from dying. Naloxone can be administered through intramuscular injection, intravenously, or as a nasal spray.

The Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition conducts training sessions around the state and provides naloxone kits to organizations and individuals that have been trained under its auspices.

For more information, visit kyhrc.org.