Health Services
Take Home Naloxone in Abermain
You can get naloxone in Abermain free of charge, with no script. Pop in for a quick consultation with a pharmacist and leave with a kit to keep on hand in case an opioid overdose happens around you.
What is Naloxone?
Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdose, including drugs like heroin, morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl. It works by restoring normal breathing in someone whose breathing has slowed or stopped.
What does “Take-Home” mean?
It means you can get a naloxone kit to keep with you, so you can use it in an emergency before medical help arrives.
Who can get it?
In many areas, it’s available to:
- People at risk of opioid overdose
- Family, friends, or carers
- Members of the public who may need to respond in an emergency
How is it used?
Opioid overdoses can happen quickly, and naloxone can save a life if given in time. Having a kit nearby allows for immediate action while waiting for emergency services.
Why is it important?
Usually given as a nasal spray or injection, and it’s designed to be used by non-medical people with simple instructions.
Health Tips
- Recognise overdose signs early (slow or no breathing, unconsciousness)
- Call emergency services immediately in any suspected overdose
- Carry your naloxone kit with you at all times
- Inform family or friends on how to use the kit
- Avoid mixing opioids with alcohol or other drugs
- Check expiry dates and replace your kit when needed
Who can get free naloxone in Abermain
Since 1 July 2022, the Australian Government's Take Home Naloxone program has made naloxone free, without a prescription, for anyone who may experience or witness an opioid overdose. That includes people at risk as well as their carers, friends and family members.
The government says the risk of an opioid overdose is higher for:
- people whose tolerance has dropped after a break from opioids, for example following drug treatment or prison
- people using high doses together with other sedatives, such as benzodiazepines
- people with certain medical conditions, including depression, HIV, liver disease, sleep apnoea and lung disease
- anyone living in a home where opioids are stored
Federal figures show that 3 people die every day from opioid-related use in Australia.
Recognising an overdose
A person who has overdosed may be unconscious, unresponsive, or awake but unable to talk. Watch for:
- slow, shallow or erratic breathing, or none at all
- choking sounds or a snore-like gurgle
- a limp body and a pale or clammy face
- blue or purplish black lips and fingernails
- a slow, irregular or absent pulse
At the counter
- Let our staff know you would like a naloxone kit.
- A pharmacist sits down with you briefly and explains how your kit is used. Ask anything you are unsure about.
- You take the kit home. Keep it somewhere people around you know about, and check the expiry date from time to time.
Naloxone questions
Why call an ambulance if the person wakes up?
Naloxone only lasts for about 30 to 90 minutes. Once it wears off, the person can overdose again, so they need medical care even after they come around.
Can a person give naloxone to themselves?
Probably not. A person in the middle of an overdose may not be able to move or speak, so the government notes they are unlikely to manage it alone. That is why it helps for family, friends and housemates to carry a kit and know where it is kept.
Where else is naloxone available?
Under the program it is also supplied through needle and syringe programs, drug and alcohol treatment centres and hospital pharmacies. Pharmacies outside the program sell it over the counter for a fee, and a doctor can prescribe it in every state and territory.
Who can I talk to about alcohol or drug use?
The National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 offers free, confidential information and support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This is one of our pharmacist services in Abermain.
Pop in for a quick consultation and free naloxone kit.
We're just along Cessnock Rd Abermain