The Pharmacy CVS Makes Naloxone Available Without Prescription

Public officials, mental health experts, and even commercial organizations are recognizing the desperation accompanying the epidemic of opiate addiction across the country. One of the ways that officials and organizations have been responding to the epidemic is by making the drug Naloxone more available to the general public.

Historically, the drug has been available at community centers that support addicts, emergency healthcare centers, and among paramedics. However, more recently, Naloxone has been handed out to families with addicts in the event that their loved one overdoses on heroin or prescription pain pills. Along these lines, first response professionals, such as police officers and paramedics, are becoming equipped with the life-saving drug Naloxone. Among the millions of Americans who are addicted to opiates, whether that's heroin or painkillers, this new drug is a way to prevent death by drug overdose right at the scene.

Naloxone is a drug used in emergencies to save the lives of those in the middle of a heroin overdose. When used on someone experiencing an overdose, this medicine temporarily blocks the opiate effects, allowing a person to breathe again long enough for help to arrive. Naloxone can be injected or administered intra-nasally and has minimal effects in those who have not used opioids. This life-saving drug contains specific opioid receptor antagonists that can reverse an opioid overdose. In essence, it can help save a life.

And this is precisely why the pharmacy store CVS is making the drug available to its customers without a prescription. It is not available in all states, however. In certain states, particularly where the rates of opiate addiction have been high, CVS has made the drug available for purchase.

Tom Davis, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS, commented that "Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses and by providing access to this medication in our pharmacies without a prescription in more states, we can help save lives."

Currently, Naxolone is available at CVS in 15 states including the following:
•    Arkansas
•    California
•    Minnesota
•    Mississippi,
•    Montana
•    New Jersey
•    North Dakota
•    Pennsylvania
•    South Carolina
•    Tennessee
•    Utah
•    Wisconsin

And just last month, CVS announced that it would expand its sales of Naxolone into 20 more states. This will provide most of the country with access to this life saving drug.

The issue of opiate addiction has become a topic yearning for some answers. And to try to provide these answers, even politicians are discussing the issue. America's opiate addiction has been a part of the current presidential debate and Obama recently proposed $1.1 billion in funding toward treating those who suffer from addiction to heroin or prescription drugs. When introducing the proposal, Obama announced that heroin and other opioids have taken the lives of 28,648 people in 2014.

If you know of someone addicted to opiates, perhaps consider going to CVS, purchasing  Naxolone, and storing it your home. You never know when you might need it to save the life of a loved one.