What does Naloxone do?

Naloxone’s only purpose is to reverse opioid overdoses. Check out the diagram below to see how naloxone works.

Opioid overdoses happen when a dangerous amount of a drug, or mixture of drugs are in the body. This process dramatically slows down the body’s ability to breathe.
Naloxone enters the brain when administered through a nasal spray or an injection.
Naloxone “kicks the opioids out” of the brain’s receptors and temporarily allows the person to start breathing again.
Naloxone reverses the opioid overdose, but it does NOT remove the opioids from the person’s body. This means a person may experience another overdose after the effects of naloxone have worn off.