What You Need to Know About Naloxone

Naloxone 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

How to Get Naloxone

1. Check your local pharmacy. Call ahead – requests for naloxone can be made if the pharmacy does not currently have it in stock.

2. Find an Overdose Response Program in your area. An Overdose Response Program is an entity authorized by the Maryland Department of Health to offer and distribute naloxone. It may be through your local health department or a community based organization.

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 naloxone.

Once you have naloxone, remember to carry it with you.

Naloxone Electronic Toolkit (NET)

The Naloxone Electronic Toolkit (also available in Spanish) provides comprehensive resources and information related to the opioid crisis. NET includes information about recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose and a brief training video on how to correctly administer naloxone nasal spray. 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 or certificate.

Naloxone Training Video

More Resources

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