Given that chemists are tasked with dispensing prescriptions from anyone coming from anywhere, pharmacies will typically stock a wide range of medication, including any commonly prescribed medication.
However, one medication is stocked at every community pharmacy in Scotland and many in the rest of the United Kingdom, that could potentially save lives at immediate risk of death.
The medication in question is Naloxone, a medication kit that is officially prescription-only but is often provided and used without one.
The reason for this is that when it is used, it is a life-or-death situation where every second counts, which leaves no time to spare in using it. Anyone can use it legally for this purpose.
What Is Naloxone?
Naloxone is an opioid agonist that is used to reverse the effect of an overdose of an opioid painkiller such as methadone, codeine, fentanyl or heroin.
It is administered either as a nasal spray or an injection, depending on the type of Naloxone kit used and helps to restore breathing within two minutes in the case of the spray and five minutes otherwise.
It is commonly used by paramedics, but given that the lifespan of someone suffering from a potentially lethal opioid overdose can be measured in minutes, anyone who is at the scene needs to act immediately to save a life.
It is often provided to workers in hostels, workers in drug services, police officers, family members of people who use drugs, as well as drug users themselves, who are most likely to be around if and when someone overdoses.
Facilities such as Safer Drug Consumption Facilities (SDCFs) that attempt to reduce harm by providing a supervised setting for drug users also have Naloxone on site and available in take-home kits for the same reason.
Naloxone is in an unusual middle-ground in that it does not need a prescription to use to save a life, but is otherwise a controlled prescription-only medication.
There are a few reasons for this caution, although a large part of it comes from misinformation.
Impossible Misconceptions
Because of the reputation naloxone has for saving lives and the power of its effects, a lot of myths have spread about the medicine over the years, some of which are merely wrong but others are outright outlandish.
An initial misconception is that it innately causes violence when in reality the powerful withdrawal effect tends to lead to disorientation, particularly when administered by someone they know.
Another myth is that it encourages riskier drug taking since there is a knowledge that there is an injection or spray that can save them if anything goes wrong.
No evidence supports this, and in many cases, the shock of the experience, the discomfort of the medication and the trauma of nearly dying often result in a reduction in the use of opioids.
Finally, and most outlandishly, there was a rumour spread of “Lazarus parties”, where people overdosed on purpose knowing they would be revived. According to one study, a police force spread this rumour and the concept is nonsensical.