Naloxone (Narcan)

• Family and friends: If you or someone you know is at increased risk for opioid overdose, especially those with opioid use disorder (OUD), you should carry naloxone and keep it at home.  
• People who are taking high-dose opioid medications (greater or equal to 50 morphine milligram equivalents per day) prescribed by a doctor, people who use opioids and benzodiazepines together, and people who use drugs, should all carry naloxone. Because you cannot use naloxone on yourself, let others know you have it in case you experience an opioid overdose. 
• Qualified community organizations: The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) provides naloxone to qualified organizations to distribute naloxone within communities. Learn more by visiting the Naloxone Distribution Project. 

Signs of an overdose may include:

• Small "pinpoint" eye pupils
• Falling alseep or losing consciousness
• Slow, weak or no breathing
• Choking or gurgling sounds
• Limp body
• Cold and/or clammy skin
• Discolored skin (especially in lips and nails)

It may be hard to tell if someone is experiencing an overdose. If you are not sure, treat it like an overdose - you could save a life. With a fentanyl overdose, two or more doses of naloxone may need to be given. 

• Call 911 and give naloxone
• Keep the person awake and breathing
• Lay the person on their side to prevent choking
• Stay with the person until 911 responders arrive