Opioid Overdose Prevention

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Call 911

Call 911 if someone is immediate need of naloxone, also known as Narcan, or needs medical attention right away.

Signs of opioid overdose include:
  • Unresponsive or unconscious
  • Slow or stopped breathing
  • Blue, gray, or white lips or fingernails
  • Snoring or gurgling sounds

You can get a referral for opioid overdose prevention programs. At these programs, you can receive naloxone (Narcan) and learn how to use it to reverse an overdose. The programs are free and available at drug treatment centers, harm reduction programs, and other community-based organizations for free. Client information is kept confidential.

You can also get naloxone without a prescription at many pharmacies. There may be a cost depending on your insurance coverage. The pharmacies can also help if you need to refill naloxone, or if has been used, lost, damaged, or expired. You can provide feedback about a pharmacy you visited to get naloxone or general comments about access to naloxone by calling 311. You can also send an email to pharmacynaloxone@health.nyc.gov.

Free naloxone is also available 24/7 at public health vending machines.

Online

Find opioid overdose prevention programs.

Find a community-based organization providing free naloxone.

Find a vending machine providing free naloxone.

By Phone

  • Agency: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
  • Division: 988
  • Phone Number: 988
  • Business Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week
  • Press 2 for assistance in Spanish. Interpretation services are available in other languages.

Opioid Prevention Centers (OPCs), also referred to as supervised consumption sites or facilities, are safe places where people who use drugs can receive medical care and be connected to treatment and social services

OPCs are an extension of existing harm reduction services and are co-located with previously established syringe service providers.

New York Harm Reduction Educators
104-106 E 126th St - 1A
New York, NY 10035
Monday - Thursday: 9 AM to 5 PM
Friday: 2 PM to 5 PM
Saturday: 9 AM to 5 PM
(212) 828-8464

Washington Heights CORNER Project
500 West 180 Street
New York, NY 10033
Monday and Thursday: 10 AM - 4 PM
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM
(212) 923-7600

Naloxone is a medication that:

  • Can reverse an opioid overdose
  • Has no effects on alcohol or other drugs
  • Takes 2 to 5 minutes to start working and lasts 30 to 90 minutes
  • May require more than one dose
  • May cause chills, nausea, vomiting, agitation, muscle aches until it wears off

You can get naloxone with or without insurance. Many insurance companies cover naloxone with little to no co-pay.

The cost of naloxone without prescription coverage is around:

  • $45 for the multi-step intramuscular injection
  • $85 for the multi-step nasal spray
  • $150 for the single-step nasal spray
  • $4,000 or more for the auto-injector

Naloxone is also available for free at community programs throughout the city.

Find a community-based organization providing free naloxone.

Opioids include prescription painkillers and heroin. Opioids can cause a person’s breathing to slow or stop.

You should avoid:

  • Mixing opioids with other medications or drugs, alcohol or cocaine.
  • Taking opioids when alone.
  • Taking more opioids than usual.

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