Narcan: The new CPR? Local pharmacist wants to teach people how to use the life-saving nasal spray

CHICAGO — In the midst of the national opioid crisis, access to Narcan, the nasal form of the opioid overdose antidote, is easier than ever. But would you know how to use it?

Well, a local pharmacist says learning how to administer Narcan should be as common as CPR training.

Northwestern Medicine Clinical Pharmacist Sterling Elliott always has Narcan nasal spray on hand, because someone might need a life-saving opioid overdose reversal at any moment.

“I’ve actually got two of these that I carry in the bag at any one time,” Elliott says. “If the need comes on, I know what I’m doing.”

And he wants others to know, too, giving pharmacy students lessons on the life-saving spray they’ll offer on the job. It goes for $45, and it’s over-the-counter.

“It’s been exposed to us more and more, especially as it’s been offered over-the-counter in recent years,” Purdue University pharmacy candidate Jack Moen said.

Added Rosalind Franklin University pharmacy student Kelsey Lanigan: “It could help someone save their life, so I think it’s worth it, especially in our work.”

After showing WGN Medical Reporter Dina Bair how to administer Narcan to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose (see video), Elliott said learning the technique is essential in the midst of the opioid crisis.

“This is the new CPR,” Elliott said. “This is yet another way you could be a Good Samaritan and save somebody’s life.”

Acting quickly is essential.

“I think if you see something happening, then I think everyone should act … without fear,” says University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy candidate Melody Suh.

But what if the person is suffering another medical issue, like a cardiac event, and not an opioid overdose? Elliott says there’s a way to tell.

“I encourage people look at those eyes, because if you see that pupil like a pinpoint, that’s a telltale sign that you’ve got an opioid overdose,” he explained. “The deadly component to an opioid overdose is the inability to breathe.

“That’s because an opioid overdose hijacks the brain’s control of the respiratory system. When Narcan is given, the drug works on specific brain receptors to help restore breathing while having little to no impact on the rest of the body.”

This is why, Elliott noted, the Food and Drug Administration made the decision to let Narcan become an over-the-counter medication. Administering it during an opioid overdose has little risk of harming the patient, but not giving it is a huge risk that could result in death.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, about six out of every 10 street doses of illegal drugs are tainted with fentanyl, one of the most powerful and deadly synthetic opioids. In light of that deadly risk, Narcan is now available free of charge in five vending machines across the city, just by punching in the pin code “1-2-3-4” for immediate access.

But some question whether open access to Narcan actually enables drug use. For Narcan advocates like Elliott, just keeping people alive should be the primary goal.

“There’s validity to (the concerns about Narcan), I understand that,” he acknowledges. “The reality is the death toll is rising.

“If you are going to make a dent in this, we’ve got to get people on the path to recovery, and the way to do this is to keep them alive.”

Bystanders who act in good faith in helping to administer Narcan are protected by Good Samaritan laws. If you want to have it on hand, Narcan nasal spray can be purchased at most pharmacies.