By Sam Bennison

To Your Health

To Your Health: How Naloxone stops overdoses

Oct 17, 2023 | 11:30 AM

PRINCE GEORGE—October has seen many toxic drug alerts across the north. This has caused Naloxone to become an important part of anyone’s first aid kit, but how does it work?

Opioid drugs, such as fentanyl, affect the breathing receptors in your brain. When someone takes more than their body can handle, their breathing slows. This can lead to unconsciousness and even death.

When someone’s administered Naloxone, Naloxone goes into the body, and it goes into those breathing receptors and not knocks off fentanyl or another opioid from those receptors and restores breathing. So, that’s the only action it has. Which is really great because if you mistake a heart attack for an overdose and you give Naloxone, it will have no effect.

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Reanne Sanford, regional nursing lead for harm reduction, Northern Health

While it’s important to carry Naloxone, not all overdoses are caused by opioids. This is why it’s important to call 9-11 right away and begin administering rescue breathing.

Really rescue breaths are the first line of treatment. So, I try to really help people understand that if you just provide rescue breaths to somebody, you will save their life. You know, if you’ve caught it in time and they are able to be reversed. Breathing for someone, providing those rescue breaths till help arrives, even if you don’t have Naloxone can really make a difference.

Reanne Sanford

If you would like to pick up a kit for yourself visit third avenue pharmacy, located at 1467 3rd Ave.