Consumer Information for: S.O.S. NALOXONE HYDROCHLORIDE INJECTION

1 mL glass
2 mL glass

1 mL glass

• Call for emergency medical help (911) before you give the injection
  
  
• If you are a bystander, a family member or a friend (non–medical healthcare professional): give the injection into the muscle (intramuscularly).
  
  
• If you are a health care professional: the injection can be given:
  • into the vein (intravenously), or
  • underneath the skin (subcutaneously) or
  • into the muscle (intramuscularly).

Usual Dose

• Initial Dose: Inject 1 mL
  
  
• Repeat Doses: Inject 1 mL after 2 to 3 minutes if the person does not respond by breathing normally or waking up.

Four steps overdose response

Step 1: Check for signs of opioid overdose

• Breathing difficulties: Look for signs of breathing by placing your cheek near the nose and mouth of the person to feel their breath. Take only about 10 seconds to check this (Figure 1)
  

Other signs of overdose include:

• Excessive drowsiness
• Pale and clammy skin
• Slow or no heartbeat
• Passing out (loss of consciousness) or unable to be woken up

Step 2: Call 911

Step 3: Give Naloxone Injection

• Take the glass ampoule of S.O.S. Naloxone Hydrochloride Injection. Using your fingers, break the neck of the ampoule (Figure 2)
  
• Use a syringe with long needle (25-37.5 mm (1–1½ inch) length)) to draw up 1 mL of the solution.
• Inject into either:
  • The fleshy part of the outer arm (just below the shoulder)
  • Front of the upper thighs
  • Upper part of the buttocks (Figure 3)
  You can inject through light clothing unless the person is wearing thick clothing (such as a jacket or sweater), you do not need to remove their clothes.
  
• Hold the syringe at a 90 degree angle to the body, about 10 cm away from the skin.
• Insert the needle into the muscle with a single, quick motion.
• Push down the plunger of the syringe with a slow, steady motion. (Figure 4)
  
• Remove the needle and carefully put it out of the way, so that you can safely throw it away later.
• Give the broken ampoule, syringe and needle to the paramedics or bring them to the nearest pharmacy for safe discarding. Do not reuse them.

Step 4: Evaluate and support

• Put the person in "the recovery position" by placing them on their side, making sure that they are not able to roll over. You can do this by moving one leg so that the knee is bent at a right angle (90 degrees), and also moving one arm so that it is a right angle to the body. Then make sure that their airway is open by gentle tilting the head back and lifting the chin. Make sure that the airway is clear of anything blocking it. (Figure 5)
  
• Wait with the person until the ambulance arrives. Keep checking to make sure that they are still breathing.
• Repeat Step 3 after 2 to 3 minutes if the person does not respond by breathing normally or waking up.

2 mL glass

• Call for emergency medical help (911) before you give the injection
  
  
• If you are a bystander, a family member or a friend (non–medical healthcare professional): give the injection into the muscle (intramuscularly).
  
  
• If you are a health care professional: the injection can be given:
  • into the vein (intravenously), or
  • underneath the skin (subcutaneously) or
  • into the muscle (intramuscularly).

Usual Dose

• Initial Dose: Inject 0.4 mL
  
  
• Repeat Doses: Inject 0.4 mL after 2 to 3 minutes if the person does not respond by breathing normally or waking up.

Four steps overdose response

Step 1: Check for signs of opioid overdose

• Breathing difficulties: Look for signs of breathing by placing your cheek near the nose and mouth of the person to feel their breath. Take only about 10 seconds to check this (Figure 1)
  

Other signs of overdose include:

• Excessive drowsiness
• Pale and clammy skin
• Slow or no heartbeat
• Passing out (loss of consciousness) or unable to be woken up

Step 2: Call 911

Step 3: Give Naloxone Injection

• Take the glass ampoule of S.O.S. Naloxone Hydrochloride Injection. Using your fingers, break the neck of the ampoule (Figure 2)
  
• Use a syringe with long needle (25-37.5 mm (1–1½ inch) length)) to draw up 0.4 mL of the solution.
• Inject into either:
  • The fleshy part of the outer arm (just below the shoulder)
  • Front of the upper thighs
  • Upper part of the buttocks (Figure 3)
  You can inject through light clothing unless the person is wearing thick clothing (such as a jacket or sweater), you do not need to remove their clothes.
  
• Hold the syringe at a 90 degree angle to the body, about 10 cm away from the skin.
• Insert the needle into the muscle with a single, quick motion.
• Push down the plunger of the syringe with a slow, steady motion. (Figure 4)
  
• Remove the needle and carefully put it out of the way, so that you can safely throw it away later.
• Give the broken ampoule, syringe and needle to the paramedics or bring them to the nearest pharmacy for safe discarding. Do not reuse them.

Step 4: Evaluate and support

• Put the person in "the recovery position" by placing them on their side, making sure that they are not able to roll over. You can do this by moving one leg so that the knee is bent at a right angle (90 degrees), and also moving one arm so that it is a right angle to the body. Then make sure that their airway is open by gentle tilting the head back and lifting the chin. Make sure that the airway is clear of anything blocking it. (Figure 5)
  
• Wait with the person until the ambulance arrives. Keep checking to make sure that they are still breathing.
• Repeat Step 3 after 2 to 3 minutes if the person does not respond by breathing normally or waking up.