naloxone

noun

nal·ox·one | \na-ˈläk-ˌsōn

Definition of naloxone

: a synthetic potent antagonist of narcotic drugs (such as morphine and fentanyl) that is administered especially in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₉H₂₁NO₄·HCl

Note: Naloxone is administered by injection or as a nasal spray to reverse the effects of opioids especially in the emergency treatment of opioid overdose. It is also administered in combination with buprenorphine in the form of a dissolvable tablet placed under the tongue or a film placed inside the cheek to treat opioid dependence.

Examples of naloxone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Harm reduction approaches, such as needle exchanges and more distribution of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, would also help. — German Lopez, Vox, "Drug overdose deaths were so bad in 2017, they reduced overall life expectancy," 29 Nov. 2018 Also part of the potential sale are formulations of buprenorphine, which reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings, and the combination of buprenorphine and the opioid antidote naloxone. — Maria Armental, WSJ, "Insys Looks to Sell Opioid-Related Assets, Including Subsys," 6 Nov. 2018 Police officers and ambulance personnel routinely carry and use naloxone to revive people in the midst of an overdose. — Ken Byron, Courant Community, "Canton Officials Present Information Session On Opioid Epidemic," 23 Mar. 2018 Agencies that participate in the survey submit information such as age, race, time and location of overdose, where the drug was obtained and whether naloxone was administered. — Sarah Wu, The Seattle Times, "‘It’s a community coming together’: Snohomish County conducts second opioid overdose count," 13 July 2018 Laws in many states allow these organizations to dispense naloxone to lay responders. — Jake Harper, Washington Post, "The story must be told.," 22 May 2018 There’s naloxone on hand in case a drug-sniffing dog accidentally ingests narcotics. — Jillian Kay Melchior, WSJ, "Is There a Crisis at the Border?," 5 Nov. 2018 All police officers carry the overdose antidote naloxone with them, Hoffman said. — Jess Nocera, Howard County Times, "Fatal overdoses down in Howard County from last year," 10 July 2018 The new study comes nearly one week after Surgeon General Vice Admiral Dr. Jerome Adams released an advisory recommending that opioid users and community members familiarize themselves with naloxone, a medication used to treat opioid overdose. — Mark Lieber, CNN, "Drop in new opioid prescriptions to benzodiazepine patients could reduce overdoses, study suggests," 13 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'naloxone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about naloxone

Dictionary Entries near naloxone

Statistics for naloxone

Last Updated

11 Dec 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for naloxone

The first known use of naloxone was in 1964

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for naloxone

naloxone

noun

nal·ox·one | \nal-ˈäk-ˌsōn,

ˈnal-ək-ˌsōn

Medical Definition of naloxone

: a potent synthetic antagonist of narcotic drugs (as morphine and fentanyl) that is administered especially in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₉H₂₁NO₄·HCl

Note: Naloxone is typically administered by injection to reverse the effects of opioids and especially in the emergency treatment of opioid overdose. It is also administered in combination with buprenorphine in the form of a dissolvable tablet placed under the tongue or a film placed inside the cheek to treat opioid dependence. Trademarks for preparations containing naloxone include Bunavail, Evzio, Narcan, Suboxone, and Zubsolv.