How to Use
Quick Guide
Whether you’re using the nasal spray or the injectable naloxone, there are five simple but essential steps to use this medication effectively. Please read the steps below carefully:
Nasal Spray — how to use it
- Shout their name and shake their shoulders. Rub your knuckles firmly on the centre of their chest.
- Call 911. Tell them the person is not breathing.
- Peel the back off one nasal spray. Tilt their head back, put the nozzle fully into one nostril, and press the plunger all the way in.
- Give rescue breaths or chest compressions using the barrier mask in the kit.
- No change after 2–3 minutes? Give the second spray in the other nostril. Stay with them until help arrives.
Injectable — how to use it
- Shout their name and shake their shoulders. Rub your knuckles firmly on the centre of their chest.
- Call 911. Tell them the person is not breathing.
- Snap the ampoule open with the breaker (or uncap the pre-filled syringe). Draw up the full 1 mL and inject it into the muscle of the upper arm or the outer thigh — through clothing is fine.
- Give rescue breaths or chest compressions using the barrier mask in the kit.
- No change after 2–3 minutes? Give the second 1 mL. Stay with them until help arrives.
Naloxone wears off in 20 to 90 minutes and the overdose can come back. Never leave someone alone after giving it, even if they wake up and seem fine. Naloxone only works on opioids — it will not hurt somebody who has not taken any, so give it if you are unsure.
These steps follow the Government of Ontario’s five-step naloxone insert (2026 edition), the same one printed in English and French inside every kit.
Watch it again
Training Videos
Learn how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose with our step-by-step training videos.
Watching these is not the training. Under the Ontario Naloxone Program for Pharmacies the training has to be given to every person, every time, live by a pharmacist — that is the short call you book when you reserve your kit. These videos are here so you can go over it again afterwards.