Narcan will soon be sold over the counter. This Wichita group can help you get it now
A community group in Wichita is striving to get life-saving naloxone in the hands of community members to combat drug-related harms.
Safe Streets Wichita has hosted several community events in select areas to deliver free naloxone kits to the community. The goal is to get naloxone, a drug used to combat opioid overdoses, into every first-aid kit in Wichita. The group got funding for the kits from the city earlier this year.
“The grant from the city was to provide 4,000 kits basically over five months .... We got started the last week of January, just a few kits there, but through the month of March we have distributed 2,568 kits,” said Lisa Vayda, coalition chair with Safe Streets Wichita.
She said the group uses data to bring the kits to areas experiencing a high number of overdoses.
“Of the 2,568 I can tell you that ... 90 percent of the kits we’ve distributed have been in hot-spot areas,” Vayda said.
The distribution comes as the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, a brand of naloxone, will soon be sold over the counter thanks to a U.S. Food Drug Administration approval in March.
“Today’s action paves the way for the life-saving medication to reverse an opioid overdose to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online,” an FDA press release read.
Here’s other information you need to know about naloxone and what the recent FDA move means for those in Wichta who need it.
What is naloxone/Narcan?
Narcan is a brand name version of naloxone used to rapidly reserve an opioid overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Narcan attaches to opioid receptors and reverses the effects, while also preventing the effects of other opioids. It quickly restores breathing if it has slowed or stopped due to an overdose, according to the institute.
Naloxone can be given as either a nasal spray or injected straight into the muscle.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends those who struggle with opioid-use disorder, those who know someone who struggles, people taking high-dose medications, people who use opioids and benzodiazepines together and people who use illicit opioids to all carry naloxone.
According to the NIDA, naloxone only works in the body for 30 to 90 minutes, meaning someone could still experience the overdose effects after it wears off. They could also need multiple doses.
If you believe someone may be overdosing, the CDC says to call 911 immediately and then administer naloxone, if available. You should also:
- Keep the person awake
- Make sure they continue breathing
- Lay them on their side
- Stay with them until assistance arrives
Signs of an overdose include:
- Small pupils
- Losing consciousness
- Trouble breathing
- Choking/gurgling sounds
- Limp body
- Cold and/or clammy skin
- Discolored skin
For intramuscular naloxone, remove the cap from the naloxone vial, turn the vial upside down and enter the syringe, pull the plunger and inject the dose into either the shoulder, thigh or buttocks. Give the person another dose if they do not wake up within three minutes.
For Narcan nasal spray, lay the person on their back and hold the nasal spray with your thumb on the bottom red plunger and your first and middle fingers on both sides of the nozzle. Place the nozzle’s tip into one nostril until your fingers around the nozzle are against the bottom of the person’s nose. Then, press the red plunger to administer a dose of the spray.
How can I get Narcan in Wichita?
Narcan prescriptions can be filled by most pharmacies in Wichita. To see which pharmacies fill it, you can visit the map located on the Kansas Board of Pharmacy’s website.
For those who cannot afford to purchase or cannot receive a prescription, you can attend any of Safe Streets Wichita’s upcoming community events to get a free naloxone kit, April 15 or 16.
If you cannot attend an event, but still need a kit, you can message Safe Streets Wichita and they can deliver one to you.
Safe Street Wichita’s kits include the intramuscular medication, not the nasal spray.
There are also opportunities to get naloxone shipped to you through a group called DCCCA, contigent on funding and available supply.
DCCCA also provides training to individuals and organizations on how to administer naloxone. In training, participants will also learn the history of the opioid crisis, know how to recognize an overdose and more. To request a kit for yourself or an organization, you can fill out the form on DCCCA’s website.
Vayda said she encourages as many people as possible to get their hands on a kit, because you never know when you could be at the right place at the right time to help someone experiencing an overdose.
“We’ve given out these kits and we’ve had people come and tell us that they walked into McDonalds ... and someone had overdosed in the bathroom there, and Uber drivers saying that they carry them with them and someone stops them and say, ‘My friends overdosing, can you come and help?’” Vayda said.
“First they say, ‘Oh, I don’t know anyone,’ and then they start thinking, ‘Well ... if I go out to eat and I go into the bathroom or if I’m ... at a ballgame,’ wherever out in public, you never know.”
