opioids

Save a Life — Learn How to Use Nalaxone

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On April 9th, 2025, local health departments across Connecticut will be recognizing the second annual Save a Life Day. This initiative educates people on how they can recognize an opioid overdose emergency and respond to it by administering Naloxone. 

Naloxone acts quickly to reverse the effects of someone whose breathing has slowed or stopped due to an opioid overdose. With these overdoses becoming a serious public health crisis, the medication is now carried by first responders and becoming more widely available to individuals and businesses as well.

Here’s how Naloxone can save a life during an opioid overdose, and how you can learn more about using it.

 

Recognizing an opioid overdose

Acting quickly is crucial to reversing the effects of the overdose. Common signs of someone experiencing an opioid overdose include:

  • Slow or shallow breathing, or breathing that has stopped
  • Tiny pupils
  • Unresponsiveness to voice or touch
  • Pale, clammy, or bluish skin
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Slowed heartbeat

 

Using Naloxone in an emergency

Although it is available in an injectable form, Naloxone is typically given as a nasal spray. The medication acts as an opioid antagonist, binding to opioid receptors in the brain and quickly blocking their effects. However, it is important to note that this only works for overdoses of opioids (like heroin, fentanyl, or prescription painkillers) and not for overdoses of other substances.

To use Naloxone, simply follow the instructions on the spray. Once administered, you should call 911 immediately, since the effects of the medication can wear off and it is essential to get additional help. If a person does not respond after two to three minutes, a second dose can be administered.

 

Where to get Naloxone training

Pharmacists who have been approved to dispense Naloxone can educate anyone who receives this medication on its use. A list of these approved pharmacies is available at the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.  

Naloxone training can also be available through primary care providers or substance use treatment programs.

 

Who should have Naloxone available?

Naloxone is available to anyone who wants to be prepared for a potential opioid overdose emergency. This might include friends or family members of opioid users, or businesses and organizations in areas with significant opioid overdose rates.

If a loved one is using opioids, help is available. Visit the Uncas Health Department’s Harm Reduction program and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for more information.

Drug Overdose Deaths Decrease in Connecticut (But Challenges Remain)

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The use of nalaxone can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses

Drug overdose deaths in the United States declined between 2022 and 2023, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While this is a positive trend, the CDC cautioned that drug overdoses remain a persistent public health issue and are ranked as the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

Nationally, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. fell 4 percent, from 32.6 deaths per 100,000 people to 31.3. The decrease was driven by 20 states where the drug overdose death rate fell significantly, including Connecticut. This rate was largely unchanged in 25 states and went up in six states.

Although Connecticut’s drug overdose death rate remained above the national average at 35.2 per 100,000 people, this marked a 12.6 percent decrease from 2022. The fatal overdose rate in Connecticut fell for opioid-related overdoses and synthetic opioids other than methadone but rose slightly for cocaine and psychostimulants with the potential for abuse.

To see the CDC’s complete findings, click here.

Uncas Health District’s services include efforts to reduce harm from drug overdose, including a syringe exchange program, increasing access to naloxone to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses, and connecting people with drug treatment services. More information is available here.