What is Naloxone?
[[Image:NaloxoneKit.jpg|thumb|A naloxone kit]] '''Naloxone''' (often called '''Narcan'''), is an [[opioid antagonist]] [[medication]]. It is used to reverse the effects of [[opioid]] [[analgesic|painkillers]], especially when a person has [[overdose]]d on opioids.<ref name=AHFS2015/> Examples of opioids include: * [[Morphine]] (often called MSIR or MS Contin) * [[Oxycodone]] (often called Percocet (when mixed with [[acetaminophen]]), OxyIR, or OxyContin) * [[Hydrocodone]] (often called Vicodin when mixed with acetaminophen) * [[Methadone]] * [[Meperidine]] (Demerol) These painkillers are [[central nervous system]] [[depressant]]s. This means they slow down certain areas of the [[brain]]. If a person takes too many opiates, this can shut down the part of the brain that controls [[breathing]]. The person may become [[Problem breathing|unable to breathe]] and die. When a person has taken too much of one of these painkillers, naloxone can reverse the painkillers' effects and save the person's life. Naloxone may be mixed into the same pill as an opioid painkiller to decrease the risk of [[substance abuse|misuse]].<!-- <ref name=AHFS2015/> --> When given [[Intravenous therapy|intravenously]], naloxone works within two minutes. When injected into a [[muscular system|muscle]], it works within five minutes.<ref name=AHFS2015/> The medication may also be shot up the nose<ref>{{cite book|last1=Roberts|first1=James R.|title=Roberts and Hedges' clinical procedures in emergency medicine|date=2014|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|location=London|isbn=9781455748594|page=476|edition=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=slyLreFkHuIC&pg=PA476}}</ref> and this is how it is used the most often. The effects of naloxone last about 30 minutes to an hour.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bosack|first1=Robert|title=Anesthesia Complications in the Dental Office|date=2015|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781118828625|page=191|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rn51BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA191}}</ref> Since most opioids last longer than naloxone,