Naloxone is a life-saving drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid poisoning. Community pharmacies in British Columbia are a convenient location for patients and others to pick up their free Take Home Naloxone (THN) kit. Naloxone is available without a prescription.
Naloxone is a life-saving drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid poisoning.
When administered properly, naloxone restores normal breathing and consciousness within 2 to 5 minutes of injection (or within 3 to 4 minutes when given intranasally), preventing death or brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen.
If you suspect an opioid poisoning and have already administered naloxone, you should still call 911 for emergency assistance.
Naloxone is an unscheduled drug in B.C. All health professionals have been authorized to administer emergency use naloxone.
This means if a pharmacist or staff member suspects a person is suffering from an opioid poisoning, they may assess and treat the person and administer emergency use naloxone by intramuscular injection or intranasally.
The BC Take Home Naloxone (THN) program was developed by the BC Centre for Disease Control in 2012 to provide life-saving training and naloxone kits to people at risk of opioid toxicity.
The BC Pharmacy Association (BCPhA) advocated for community pharmacies to be added as distribution points for the free naloxone kits, and now community pharmacies provide the most naloxone kits in B.C. As of July 2024, 911 community pharmacies across British Columbia are registered with the Toward the Heart Program to provide the kit.
Take Home Naloxone kits are available free of charge to people:
- at risk of an opioid poisoning
- likely to witness and respond to an opioid poisoning, such as a family or friend of someone at risk
For information on how to use naloxone, visit the Toward the Heart Program.
Pharmacists, at their own discretion, may provide additional kits to those who may be at high risk. Examples may include obtaining multiple kits for more than one person (such as a group home setting) or for individuals who live in rural and remote areas where first response times are lengthy or they may not be able to reach a pharmacy should an opioid poisioning occur.
Toward the Heart offers the THN Site Finder, a search tool that shows all publicly listed Take Home Naloxone, Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention sites in British Columbia. Community pharmacies are listed in the same section of the website and is regularly updated.
You can also check with your local community pharmacy even if they are not listed on the website since they may be able to order publicly funded naloxone from other distributors and that are still free of charge.
The pharmacist will provide information on how to use the contents of the kit properly. The participating pharmacy site is required to complete a distribution record for the BC Centre for Disease Control; however, no patient details are required.
Individuals at risk of an opioid poisoning or individuals likely to witness and respond to an opioid poisoning such as a family or friend of someone at risk, can administer the naloxone injection or intranasally.
Toward the Heart provides online training and resources along with links to educational and training resources like the SAVE ME Steps, instructions which are included in the THN kit. All individuals who have the kit are encouraged to learn how to respond to an opioid poisoning.
For more information and resources, go to:
- www.bcpharmacists.org/naloxone - The BC College of Pharmacists website provides a list of resources relating to naloxone, including a naloxone FAQ and optional patient hand-outs.
- www.towardtheheart.com - The BC Take Home Naloxone program provides extensive resources for sites participating in the THN program, for health professionals and for individuals at risk.
For Large THN kit orders: Non-profit and community-based organizations that work directly with clients at risk of opioid poisoning may be eligible to participate in the BCCDC Facility Overdose Response Box (FORB) program. Interested organizations can contact naloxone@bccdc.ca and/or refer to their local Health Authority Harm Reduction Coordinator.