Naloxone, commonly known by its brand name, Narcan, is a prescription medication, given by injection or through a nasal spray, that reverses overdoses of opioids such as heroin, oxycodone, morphine, methadone, codeine and hydrocodone.

These narcotic drugs slow a person's breathing and central nervous system responses. Naloxone reverses that effect, waking the person and restoring breathing.It does not work on other drugs, including methamphetamine, bath salts, Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, cocaine or alcohol.Naloxone, which acts in two to five minutes, is harmless if given by mistake to someone who has not overdosed on opioids, according to The University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute.If the person doesn't come to within five minutes, a second dose is given. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be given while waiting for the second dose to work, according to the institute.It warns those administering naloxone to bear in mind that the drug can wear off in 30 to 60 minutes, and the overdose victim can stop breathing again. That's why it's crucial to call 911 and make sure the person gets medical care."Narcan works within minutes to restore breathing in people overdosing on opiate drugs by blocking opiate receptors and essentially reverses the effects of opioid drugs, such as heroin," said state Department of Health spokeswoman Holli Senior. "Overdose patients usually bounce back quickly after given naloxone. It can be administered either intramuscularly via injection or intranasally via a nasal spray. It is a non-narcotic and non-abusable prescription drug. It cannot be used to get high and is not addictive; however, in fact, it can trigger withdrawal symptoms."Some worry that by making naloxone widely available, it may deplete motivation for addicts to stop using opioids.Washington University's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute says that's not true."Research studies have investigated this common concern and found that making naloxone available does not encourage people to use opiates more. The goal of distributing naloxone and educating people about how to prevent, recognize and intervene in overdoses is to prevent deaths. Other goals, such as decreasing drug use, can only be accomplished if the user is alive," the Institute says.