Buy Narcan Online: Walgreens, CVS and More Stores Roll Out Easier Way to Get Lifesaving Drug – By Jessica Rendall (CNET) / Sept 5, 2023
Narcan can be used by a bystander or friend to stop an opioid overdose in its tracks. Here’s how to buy it, who should carry it and how to use it.
The US Food and Drug Administration last spring announced a nationwide rule that Narcan, the name brand for the medication naloxone that stops an opioid overdose, is able to be sold without a prescription. Starting this week, major retailers, including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid, will have it available in-store and online, making it easier to buy and have on hand.
Narcan is a nasal spray that can be administered safely to someone experiencing signs of an opioid overdose. It’s easy to use, which is why you don’t have to be medically trained to use it on someone else, similar to how bystanders are able to use EpiPens on someone experiencing allergic shock.
In about 40% of overdose deaths, someone else was present, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths from opioid overdoses have surged in recent years, with deaths continuing to climb last year.
Narcan or naloxone has already been available without prescription in many states and pharmacies in response to the country’s opioid overdose epidemic. It has also been available for free at some community centers or harm-reduction sites. The hope of having it available online at mainstream pharmacies and online is that people can find it easily and have it delivered or pick it up discreetly, whether they use opioids or know someone who does
