“Anyone – including family members, caregivers, or other people who may have to use naloxone in an opioid overdose – should be taught to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and to administer naloxone,” Sokolowska said. unconsciousness or unresponsiveness (doesn’t wake up when shaken or called).Some illicit or nonprescribed substances such as heroin are also opioids. Opioids are medications that can be used to treat certain kinds of pain or opioid use disorder. “This is the reason it is very important that anyone witnessing an opioid overdose has access to naloxone and feels confident using it during an emergency.” How to Recognize an Opioid Overdose and Use Naloxone “Without the administration of naloxone, there is a high risk of fatality from an opioid overdose,” said Marta Sokolowska, Ph.D., deputy center director for substance use and behavioral health at the FDA. That’s one of many reasons the FDA is working to help increase access to naloxone. Food and Drug Administration are an important tool to reverse overdose in health care and community settings. Examples of opioids include heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine. Naloxone is a life-saving drug that, when sprayed into the nose or injected, quickly reverses the powerful effects of opioids during an overdose.Įveryone who overdoses with opioids, whether with a prescribed medicine or an illicit drug, can use naloxone, including nasal sprays and injections. Anyone can save a life during an opioid overdose with naloxone, a front-line defense in the nation’s overdose crisis.

Morphine overdose antidote