The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County is now distributing naloxone (also known as NARCAN) to people 18-and-older at both of its locations to help reduce substance use deaths due to opioid overdoses.
Anyone can stop by the health department Monday – Friday in Fort Walton Beach (221 Hospital Drive NE) and Crestview (810 E. James Lee Blvd) to receive the naloxone kits.
Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, restoring breathing and consciousness within minutes of being administered to a person who has overdosed.
- When naloxone was first approved to reverse opioid overdoses, its brand name was “Narcan,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. There are now other formulations and brand names for naloxone, but many people continue to call all of these products “Narcan.”
Signs of an overdose include:
- Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”
- Falling asleep or losing consciousness
- Slow, weak, or not breathing
- Choking or gurgling sounds
- Limp body
- Cold and/or clammy skin
- Discolored skin, especially lips and nails
Find more information and resources related to naloxone, treatment and prevention by visiting iSaveFL.
