Using naloxone intramuscular injection to reverse an opiod overdose
6 Steps
Know the signs of overdose
- Person is unconscious and cannot be woken
- Person is not breathing or breathing very slowly with little to no chest movements or long pauses between breaths
- Snoring or gurgling sounds
- Lips or inside of mouth are blue or grayish in color
Check for response
- Shake person and shout, “Are you ok?”
- Grind knuckles into chest bone
- Check for breathing
Call 911
- Dial 911 and set phone to speaker while you move on to step #4
- Tell 911 operator that someone is not breathing
Give one dose of naloxone
- Remove cap from vial and needle and with vial upside down, insert needle into vial
- Draw 1ml making sure syringe fills with liquid, not air
- Insert needle into large muscle like upper arm or thigh and press plunger to release dose
- Check for breathing
Start rescue breathing
If person has not started breathing on their own, it is CRITICAL to start breathing for them.
- Check airway, tilt forehead back, lift chin, pinch nose and give normal breath every 5 seconds for 30 seconds
- Recheck breathing and restart cycle if the person is still not breathing
- If not breathing after 3 minutes, give a 2nd dose of naloxone
Put in recovery position and wait
for first responders
- Roll the person over slightly onto their side, bend the top knee and place outside hand under their head
- When responders arrive, tell them that naloxone has been given
