CONTRIBUTED BY THE
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
OF THE STATE OF ALABAMA
MONTGOMERY —
Alabama physicians are commending the Food and Drug Administration’s decision last week to allow a nasal spray version of Narcan to be available as over-the-counter medication.
“Making Narcan available without prescription is an essential step to save lives from fentanyl and other opioid-related overdoses,” said Dr. Julia Boothe, president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. “We encourage all Alabamians to learn how to recognize, prevent and respond to an opioid overdose by using Narcan.”
Narcan rapidly reverses an opioid overdose and can quickly restore normal breathing to a person if their breathing has slowed or stopped because of an opioid overdose.
A report released last October showed that the number of opioid prescriptions in Alabama have declined for eight consecutive years. This same report also showed that prescriptions of naloxone in Alabama rose 851% between 2012 and 2021. Naloxone is the generic name for Narcan.
