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Narcan (naloxone) is a prescription drug that’s used to treat an opioid overdose. This drug isn’t known to interact with other medications.

Narcan is used in an emergency to treat a suspected or known opioid overdose. It can be used in people of any age. Narcan comes as a nasal spray that can be purchased over the counter. It contains naloxone as its active ingredient (what makes a drug work).

An interaction can occur because one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions can also occur if you have certain health conditions.

Keep reading to learn about Narcan’s possible interactions. And for more information about Narcan, including details about its uses, see this article.

Note: Narcan is not a substitute for medical treatment. It’s meant to reverse an opioid overdose until healthcare professionals can provide treatment. If you or someone else receives a dose of Narcan, your local emergency response service should also be contacted (such as dialing 911 or your local emergency number).

Narcan is not known to interact with other drugs. Narcan is only used in emergency situations to reverse a suspected or known opioid overdose, which can be life threatening. So it’s unlikely that future interactions will be discovered. Even if interactions are discovered in the future, the benefits to using Narcan during an opioid overdose will likely outweigh any possible risks.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take Narcan. In such cases, your doctor may not recommend Narcan for you. These are known as contraindications. The information below includes contraindications of Narcan.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Narcan or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely will not prescribe Narcan for you. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.

Talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether Narcan is safe for you to take.

There’s no interaction between Narcan and alcohol. It’s safe to receive Narcan even if you’ve consumed alcohol.

If you have questions about consuming alcohol and Narcan, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Narcan may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See below for details. Note that this information does not include all other possible interactions with Narcan.

Does Narcan interact with supplements?

Before you receive Narcan, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs or vitamins and supplements you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.

If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Narcan interactions with herbs

There are currently no reports of Narcan interacting with herbs. But this doesn’t mean that interactions with herbs won’t be recognized in the future.

For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products.

Narcan interactions with vitamins

There are currently no reports of Narcan interacting with vitamins. But this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions won’t be recognized in the future.

For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products.

Does Narcan interact with food?

There are currently no reports of Narcan interacting with food. If you have questions about eating certain foods and Narcan, talk with your doctor.

Does Narcan interact with vaccines?

There are currently no reports of Narcan interacting with vaccines. If you have questions about getting certain vaccines, talk with your doctor.

Does Narcan interact with lab tests?

There are currently no reports of Narcan interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.

Does Narcan interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Narcan interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). But as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.

Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with Narcan. Before receiving Narcan from the pharmacy, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Narcan is right for you.

Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Narcan include:

Heart condition: Heart-related side effects can occur after Narcan is used to reverse an opioid overdose. Examples of these side effects include heart arrhythmia, high or low blood pressure, and cardiac arrest. Most reports of these side effects occurred in people with a preexisting heart condition, such as heart disease. They also occurred when naloxone (the active ingredient in Narcan) was used after surgery to reverse the effects of opioids. Narcan is only used to reverse a potentially life threatening opioid overdose. So it’s considered safe to use even if you have a heart condition. But you may require close monitoring if you have a heart condition and receive Narcan. Talk with your doctor if you have additional questions.

Pregnancy: It’s not known whether Narcan is safe to use during pregnancy. But an opioid overdose can be fatal, so the benefits of using Narcan generally outweigh the risks. If you’re pregnant and need to receive Narcan, the hospital will likely monitor the health of your pregnancy closely.

Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to use Narcan while breastfeeding. But because opioid overdose can be fatal, the benefits to using Narcan typically outweigh the risks. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor about your options.

Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Narcan or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Narcan. This is because using the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better choices for you.

Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Narcan. Before receiving it from the pharmacy, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:

  • whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis
  • other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs (their help with filling out a medication list)
  • what to do if you start taking a new drug during your Narcan treatment

It’s also important to understand Narcan’s label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. Colored stickers that describe interactions may be on the label. And the paperwork (sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide) may have other details about interactions. (If you did not get paperwork with Narcan, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you.)

If you have trouble reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.