What You Need to Know About Naloxone (also known as Narcan®)

Naloxone (also known by the brand name Narcan) is a life-saving medication that can quickly restore the breathing of a person experiencing an opioid overdose. Opioids are a group of drugs that include heroin and prescription medications like oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, fentanyl, and methadone.

Learn how to administer naloxone and find additional opioid overdose information.

How to Give Naloxone

Naloxone Training Video English

Naloxone Training Video Spanish

How to Get Naloxone

1. Find an Overdose Response Program in your area to receive free naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and xylazine test strips. An Overdose Response Program is a place authorized by the Maryland Department of Health to distribute naloxone. This may be your local health department or a community-based organization.

2. Check your local pharmacy. Call ahead and ask for naloxone. If your local pharmacy doesn’t currently have naloxone in stock, you may request it. You can buy it over the counter or bill it to your insurance through the statewide standing order. You do not need an individual prescription.

3. Request naloxone by mail. Residents in certain Maryland counties may be eligible to receive free naloxone delivered to their home. Please reach out to an Overdose Response Program near you to ask if they offer mail delivery of naloxone.

Once you have naloxone, remember to carry it with you. Look at the expiration date to know when to get more. The FDA recently extended the shelf life of newly manufactured naloxone. It’s ideal to keep it at room temperature, but it’s better to have naloxone that’s been exposed to heat than not having it at all.

Naloxone Electronic Toolkit (NET)

The Naloxone Electronic Toolkit (also available in Spanish) provides comprehensive resources and information related to the opioid crisis. The toolkit includes information about recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose and a brief training video on how to correctly respond to the overdose by administering naloxone nasal spray and providing basic life support. Printable posters and brochures are also included, in addition to information about the standing order that allows people to go to any pharmacy in Maryland and ask for naloxone without a prescription.

Naloxone Brochure

More Resources

Remember to Carry Naloxone Ads

Carry Naloxone Ad English

Carry Naloxone Ad Spanish

Learn more about the Maryland Department of Health’s Center for Harm Reduction Services and the Maryland Overdose Response Program.