Naloxone kits a lifeline in a worsening opiate crisis

The Selkirk Avenue pharmacy in Winnipeg distributes 50-70 kits per week. But pharmacy manager Brett Roeland believes the need is actually much higher.

At Northway Pharmacy Brothers, naloxone kits are flying off the shelves.

The Selkirk Avenue pharmacy in Winnipeg distributes 50-70 kits per week. Each kit contains between two and four doses.

But pharmacy manager Brett Roeland believes the need is actually much higher.

“I’m pretty confident they’re all being used in the community,” he said. “We might be giving out more kits than other areas, but I still think that we are probably under-servicing the area.”

Naloxone is a drug that reverses overdose by knocking opiates off the brain’s receptors. Although the effect is temporary, it can keep patients alive long enough for the opiates to leave their system.

There are two types of naloxone kits. The injectable kit contains syringes and vials of the drug, which is to be injected into the patient’s thigh or upper arm. Nasal naloxone is administered similar to a nasal spray and acts more quickly. Both kits include gloves, a mouth guard for performing CPR, and instructions.

The injectable kits are available at some pharmacies and community organizations free of charge. The nasal kits are covered by the Department of Indigenous Services Canada for First Nations people with a prescription.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service administered 1,524 doses of naloxone in 2016. In 2022, they administered 3,628 – an increase of 138 per cent.