SPARTANBURG, SC (WSPA) – The opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone – more commonly known by its name-brand Narcan – became available this week at major retailers as an over-the-counter drug, meaning no prescription is necessary for purchase.
Retailers like Walmart, CVS and Walgreens sell the drug for around $45 per two-dose pack. To find a retailer near you that sells Narcan, click here.
“Initially, I’m like, ‘Yay! That’s awesome,’” Forrester Center Senior Program Coordinator Audrey Colin said. “More lives are going to be saved and it’s going to be easily accessed for more people.”
Colin said if $45 is too steep a price for those interested in getting naloxone for themselves or a loved one, the Forrester Center for Behavioral Health, Favor South Carolina, and other local distributors – including local SCDHEC offices – will provide the drug for free.
“If my loved one was a drug addict and I couldn’t get them to get help, it would be beneficial, for me, at that point in time, to have it,” Westview-Fairforest Fire Department Chief Scott Garrett said. “If they do overdose, I can give it prior to the first responder getting there to give them Narcan.”
Garrett said his department uses the drug roughly twice each week on overdose calls. He said he feels like making the drug widely available is useful for individuals and families in need but that it does not solve the problem.
