What is the medication naloxone used for?
Naloxone is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist—meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids, such as such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone.
Why would a doctor prescribe naloxone?
Naloxone is a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids. It is used to treat opioid overdose by temporarily reversing the effects of opioid medicines and drugs. This helps a person to breathe again and wake up from an overdose.
Can naloxone be used for diazepam?
It’s important to note that naloxone only works on opioid receptors within the body, and is therefore not capable of reversing the effects of non-opioid medications such as stimulants like methamphetamine or cocaine, or benzodiazepines like lorazepam or diazepam.
Is naloxone an antidote?
Naloxone is a medicine that is an antidote to opioid drugs. Opioids can slow or stop a person’s breathing, leading to death.
How do you administer naloxone?
Injecting into the muscle of the upper thigh or upper arm (see below) with a syringe is also a very common way to administer naloxone. Many naloxone kits come with a syringe and a vial (seen in photo below) or a pre-filled cartridge of naloxone. The shot can be administered through clothes.
Is Naltrexone the same as Suboxone?
Vivitrol, the brand name for naltrexone, is a narcotic blocker or what’s known as an opioid antagonist. This medication, which is as effective as Suboxone, is a monthly injection. A potential downside for patients, though, is that it can only be administered after opioid withdrawal takes place.
Where do you inject naloxone?
Draw up 1cc of naloxone into the syringe 1cc=1mL=100u. Inject into a muscle – thighs, upper, outer quadrant of the butt, or shoulder are best. Inject straight in to make sure to hit the muscle.
What are the side effects of naloxone?
Side effects of Naloxone are: increase or decrease in blood pressure, abnormal heart rate and rhythm, troubled breathing, cardiac arrest, fluid retention in lungs, and diarrhea.
How effective is naloxone?
Aside from the fact that naloxone is “always effective” in preventing overdose death if it’s administered fast enough, Dr. Salsitz says the most incredible part of the drug is that there are virtually no side effects.
Should pain patients be prescribed naloxone?
Pain patients taking relatively modest doses of opioid medication should be co-prescribed naloxone, according to a recommendation released this week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Naloxone is an overdose recovery drug administered by injection or nasal spray that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
What is naloxone used for?
Naloxone injection is used to treat a narcotic overdose in an emergency situation. This medicine should not be used in place of emergency medical care for an overdose. Naloxone is also used to help diagnose whether a person has used an overdose of an opioid.