FAQs — Naloxone in New Jersey Q: What is naloxone? A: Naloxone is the medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. It is often referred to as Narcan, which is the patented brand of naloxone that is administered through an intranasal (nose) spray. Naloxone is extremely safe, and has no side effects if given to someone without opioids in their system. Q: How does naloxone work? A: Naloxone is an opioid antagonist, meaning that it binds to opioid receptors in the brain and “kicks off” opioids from those receptors. This blocks the effects of opioids and can very quickly return normal breathing to a person experiencing an opioid overdose. Q: How long does naloxone last before expiring? A: Naloxone has a listed shelf-life of 36 months and has been found effective up to ten years past its expiration date. It is also suggested to store naloxone in a room temperature environment, out of direct sunlight. Naloxone is fairly resilient though, so do what you can with what you have. Q: Why do we have naloxone? A: We have naloxone, as we know it today, through the radical activism of people who use drugs, advocates, and harm reductionists redistributing the medication to keep each other alive. Here’s a very abridged timeline of naloxone: ● 1961: Naloxone first patented to treat opioid-related constipation ● 1970: Emergency departments begin using naloxone to reverse opioid toxicity ● 1995: People who use drugs began distributing naloxone in grassroots networks to keep each other safe in the case of an opioid overdose ● 2003: The Drug Overdose Prevention Education (D.O.P.E.) Project in San Francisco launched a low-barrier community naloxone distribution program, distributing large quantities of naloxone directly to people who use drugs ● 2010: Law enforcement and other state agencies recognize the efficacy of naloxone as an overdose response tool in community settings, and begin carrying naloxone in response to the increase in fentanyl-related overdoses ● 2019: Naloxone distributed by the D.O.P.E. Project is responsible for 2,600 peer overdose reversals in San Francisco. New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition forms and, following the legacy of the D.O.P.E. Project and many others, established the first statewide grassroots community-based naloxone distribution program in New Jersey Q: How do I get naloxone? A: Free naloxone is available at New Jersey’s seven Harm Reduction Centers (located in Asbury
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