In response to the nation's opioid epidemic, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged the public Thursday to more regularly carry overdose medicine.
Naloxone, sold as brand name Narcan, can temporarily reverse the effects of an overdose and revive a person whose breathing has slowed.
In Florida, the drug can be obtained without a prescription from a pharmacist according to a state law passed in 2016. An expansion to the Good Samaritan law, also passed in 2016, protects those who give naloxone to a person they think is overdosing from getting sued later for negligence.
Narcan cannot be purchased over the counter. One pharmacy in Jacksonville required the completion of a short form asking for a name, date of birth and contact information before providing naloxone. Prices and pharmacy protocol can vary but recent grants have helped make naloxone available at no cost even without insurance.
The drug can be administered with a syringe or injection, but the nasal spray is the cheapest and easy to use.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Lieutenant Mark Rowley said the four to six minutes after overdose symptoms manifest is the critical window.
"When they succumb to an overdose, they aren't going to be able to Narcan themselves and they will die," Rowley said. "When our paramedics and firefighters arrive on scene and that person is no longer breathing or their heart is stopped, the chances of survival are slim to none."
Civilian use of Narcan in Jacksonville has saved three lives in the last two months alone, Rowley said.
However, the temporary fix does not substitute calling 9-1-1. Even if the patient regains consciousness because of naloxone, Rowley said it's important to still get them checked by medical professionals because fatal problems can follow an overdose. If the patient is not breathing, begin CPR.
"[Naloxone] only works on opioids and it's safe," Rowley said. "Even if they're not on an opioid and you just suspect they are."
Altered mental status, a change in breathing rate and skin color, and grogginess are indicators an overdose is occurring.
Jason Shepard, six months in recovery from an opioid addiction, told First Coast News Narcan could have made the difference in an overdose he witnessed about a year ago.
"It was one of the scariest things I've ever been through in my life," said Shepard. "They quit breathing, their face changed colors, their lips turned purple. It was very obvious that he had overdosed."
In a hotel room, he said the friend did not respond when they tried to wake him and place him in a shower.
"I believe there's many people that are overdosing today, that if there was Narcan available to them at that moment it could save their life," Shepard said. "People that have family members caught up in addiction, it would be a great thing to have. This problem of addiction hits everybody, but there is hope out there and there is help."