Naloxone is the chemical name for the opioid reversal agent used to treat patients who have overdosed with opioids. Most commonly known as the name brand, Narcan, Naloxone is typically administered as a nasal spray. However, competitor company Eyzio manufactures Naloxone as an auto-injector pen more similar to some epinephrine products.

Naloxone’s mechanism of action consists of removing opioid molecules from receptors in the body and taking their place at the binding site to prevent further receptor binding by opioids. In most cases, opioid overdose is characterized by the body seemingly forgetting how to breathe. As Naloxone antagonizes and inhibits opioid activity in the body, an affected patient should experience a rapid return to normal, healthy breathing. However, Naloxone’s effectiveness is thought to be limited to opioid reversal processes and is not applicable to overdoses of other toxins in the body (i.e. alcohol overdose, asthma attack, anaphylactic shock, etc.).