Get Naloxone
Let’s carry naloxone &
look out for one another
Naloxone (brand name Narcan) is the medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. It is an incredibly safe, easy-to-use, and effective medication.
When people who use drugs and our families, friends, and loved ones carry naloxone, we use it and we keep each other alive for whatever our next steps may be.
Get naloxone mailed for free anywhere in New Jersey
Through our partnership with NEXT Distro and our statewide supply request line, we mail naloxone (brand name Narcan) discreetly and for free to anyone in New Jersey who requests it, prioritizing those most likely to witness an overdose.
You can also request naloxone confidentially by calling or texting 1-877-4NARCAN.
We welcome all requests and encourage all individuals to carry naloxone.
In the event of limited supplies, we prioritize getting naloxone to people most likely to witness an overdose. That’s people who use drugs, people who recently stopped using drugs, and friends and loved ones of people who use drugs.
We offer intramuscular or intranasal naloxone depending on availability. Due to the substantial price differential cannot guarantee availability of intranasal naloxone. All FDA-approved forms of naloxone are appropriate for community distribution and permitted by New Jersey law.
If you have health insurance and a pharmacy you trust, you can also see if your pharmacy carries naloxone. Thanks to a new law in New Jersey, most pharmacies should sell naloxone without prescription. Here is a list of pharmacies with current naloxone standing orders.
Great question! We’re honored to work with a wide network of individual and organizational naloxone distributors. Learn more here.
Get Naloxone at a Harm Reduction Center (HRC)
You can get naloxone for free at one of New Jersey’s seven Harm Reduction Centers, located in Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Camden, Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, and Trenton.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
If you suspect an overdose has happened, call their name, and check for one or more of the following signs:
- The person is unconscious and unresponsive/unable to stay awake or wake up.
- Breathing slowly or not at all
- Vomiting, Choking, or gurgling
- Lips, nails, or skin, are turning gray or blue
- Not responding to “I’m going to give you Narcan now!” or a sternum rub
Stay calm—you have naloxone and are prepared to respond by taking the following steps:
- Call 911 immediately & tell them the person is not breathing or is unresponsive
- Give Narcan/naloxone (the opioid overdose reversal drug) to the person
- If the person is not breathing, do rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth breathing)
- Wait 1-2 minutes and if they are still not breathing give another dose
- Lay the person on their side once they resume breathing
- When someone comes out of an overdose, be gentle, explain what happened, ask
- what they need, and try your very best to listen to and act on what they say
New Jersey’s “Good Samaritan” law provides protection for an overdose survivor and those who call for help during an overdose from arrest, charge, and prosecution for obtaining, possessing, using, being under the influence of, or failing to make lawful disposition of drugs; using or possessing drug paraphernalia; and revocation of parole and probation based on these charges.
We have naloxone, as we know it today, through the radical activism of people who use drugs, advocates, and allies redistributing the medication to keep each other alive. Naloxone was first patented to treat opioid-related constipation in 1961; by 1995, people who use drugs began distributing naloxone in grassroots networks to keep each other safe. In 2003, the Drug Overdose Prevention Education (D.O.P.E.) Project in San Francisco initiated the first low-barrier community naloxone distribution model. Our naloxone distribution is based on this model.
In May 2020, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General issued an administrative order requiring anyone who prescribes you an opioid medication for pain management equal to or greater than 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) to also prescribe you naloxone. This is known as co-prescribing. Your prescriber is also required to co-prescribe you naloxone if you currently have prescriptions for both an opioid medication and a benzodiazepine.
Talk with family members, roommates, and friends about your new naloxone kit. Ask them to read through the overdose reversal information included in your kit, and let them know where you will be storing it. If you live alone, you can ask a trusted neighbor or friend to check in on you periodically when you will be taking your medication. Make sure they know the signs of an opioid overdose.
Donate Now
Harm reduction is essential. A harm reduction approach to drug use is the best strategy we have to end the overdose crisis, reduce risks associated with drug use, and affirm the dignity and bodily autonomy of every New Jerseyan.
