Weekly Narcan giveaways set at Dougherty County Health Department

ALBANY, Ga. – Narcan is an antidote to opioids such as oxycodone, fentanyl, and heroin. Free doses of the drug will be available at the Dougherty County Health Department to individuals 18 years old and older beginning March 24. The drug can be obtained for the person requesting it or for a friend.

Narcan, a counteracting drug, which when administered in a timely fashion can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, will be issued at the pharmacy of the Dougherty County Health Department at no charge.

Other than age verification, there will be no questions asked of those requesting Narcan, also known as naloxone, which is administered as a nasal spray.

Administering Narcan is easy to do. The chemical enters the bloodstream where it binds to the opioid molecule, rendering it less active. The benefits are often seen within minutes of dosing. Opioid overdose victims treated promptly with Narcan will often be awake and breathing on their own in less time that it would take for an ambulance to arrive.

There will be a link available on www.southwestgeorgiapublichealth.org demonstrating how to use Narcan.

Individuals seeking Narcan at the Health Department do not have to be Dougherty County residents to ask for Narcan, but they will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms at the health department and will also be required to wear a mask.

An opioid overdose can be identified by a combination of three symptoms known as the Opioid Triad. They are:
• Pinpoint pupils
• Unconsciousness
• Respiratory depression

Additional signs and symptoms include:
• Unresponsiveness
• Awake, but unable to talk
• Body is very limp
• Face is pale or clammy
• Blue lips, fingernails and skin
• For lighter-skinned people, the skin tone turns bluish purple; for darker-skinned people, the skin tone turns grayish or ashen
• Breathing is very slow and shallow, irregular or has stopped
• Pulse is slow, erratic or not there at all
• Choking sounds or a snore-like gurgling noise (sometimes called the death rattle)
• Vomiting

This service of the Southwest Georgia Public Health District will be available at the Dougherty County Health Department, while supplies last, every Wednesday afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. The Health Department is located at 1710 South Slappey Blvd. in Albany, Georgia.