Part of educating the public about the opioid epidemic is making sure you know the facts. Narcan, or naloxone, is a medication designed to quickly reverse an opioid overdose.
Anyone can get it -- or can they? There's been confusion, and tonight, we verify whether you need a prescription.
Our sources include the Director of the State Pharmacy Board, John Kirtley, and the State of Arkansas' August 2017 Naloxone Protocol.
"People can, over three to five minutes, wake back up and seem normal, but it's a short lasting effect. They've got to call 9-11 because they may need additional doses of that drug to save their life," Kirtley said.
Naloxone is supposed to be available at any pharmacy without a doctor's prescription, but questions surfaced over Narcan's accessibility when an individual told THV11 that he called three Arkansas pharmacies and was told he needed a prescription.
We can verify that is not true. You do not need a prescription to get Narcan from a pharmacy.
"Naloxone products such as Narcan -- they are available without a prescription in Arkansas,"
Kirtley said, referring to the state's protocol on naloxone.
"What we have is a statewide protocol that allows a pharmacy and pharmacist to discuss with anyone that if you are potentially at risk for opioid overdose, or if you might come in contact with someone at risk for an overdose, you can buy it as part of this protocol without a prescription," Kirtley said.
We called at least six local pharmacies and all said they would dispense Narcan without a prescription. However, if a customer wants insurance to cover it, they would need a prescription.
Kirtley said each pharmacy is a business and can choose not to dispense without a doctor's prescription.
"There are pharmacies that will choose to not use the protocol, to only sell naloxone by prescription from an authorized prescriber, but you just have to call and check," Kirtley said.
So what did we verify?
The state naloxone protocol explicitly states any pharmacy in Arkansas can dispense Narcan without a prescription, if they so choose. We also learned there is no minimum age requirement to get the drug.
Since 2016, Narcan has saved 122 lives in Arkansas.
If you have a question that you'd like to be verified, submit it to us below.