Key messages
- Anyone can administer naloxone. Just follow the instructions provided with the packaging. See advice from the Australian Government's Take Home Naloxone Program webpage for more information.
- Victorians do not need to wait for advice from 000 before administering naloxone. However, calling 000 is a priority as naloxone only lasts for 30-90 minutes and signs of opioid overdose may be something else.
- As of July 2025, all first aid courses in Australia and New Zealand are to include instruction on the administration of intranasal naloxone as stated by the ANZCOR guideline on first aid management of suspected opioid overdose.
- All eligible Needle and Syringe Program sites can apply to become Take-Home Naloxone providers. To register your interest or find out more about the program, please contact aod.policy@health.vic.gov.au.
Victoria's Take-Home Naloxone Program provides free access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdose.
Free naloxone is available from the following locations for consumers, their families, carers and supporters:
- The Medically Supervised Injecting Room and the Victorian Pill Testing Service
- Participating Needle and Syringe Programs, Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals, and community pharmacies
In Victoria, people are also able to give naloxone to their peers to increase access to this important medication.
About opioid overdose and naloxone
Naloxone is a medication that will temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It does this by blocking opioids from attaching to opioid receptors in the brain.
Opioids are a class of drugs that include heroin, opium and Kamini, as well as prescription opioids such as morphine, fentanyl, methadone and oxycodone. There are also illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids like nitazenes, some of which are extremely potent.
An opioid overdose occurs when a person consumes too much of an opioid. Signs of an opioid overdose may include a person who is unconscious or unresponsive, or who is having breathing difficulties. Further information on identifying the signs of an opioid overdose is available on the Australian Government's Take Home Naloxone Program page and the Better Health Channel.
Opioids can sometimes be sold as or mixed into other drugs – such as cocaine, ketamine, and MDMA – without people's knowledge. This can further increase the risk of overdose. Naloxone is effective in these situations.
Naloxone can be administered by nasal spray or injection. If someone has overdosed on opioids, it is unlikely they will be able to administer naloxone themselves.
How to administer naloxone
How to administer naloxone - translated resources
The following are translated resources on administering naloxone in Arabic, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Greek, Italian, Khmer, Punjabi, Turkish and Vietnamese.
Where to access naloxone
People can access naloxone from community pharmacies, with or without a prescription. A list of Victorian pharmacies registered through the Australian Government's Take-Home Naloxone program to provide free naloxone is available on the Pharmacy Programs Administrator website.
Victoria's program allows for secondary supply or 'peer-to peer' distribution of naloxone. This means that naloxone collected from approved organisations may be:
- collected for another person (for example, by a person's family, friends, carers, supporters or peers)
- given from person to person in the community for the purpose of opioid overdose reversal.
There are also organisations approved to supply naloxone under the Victorian Take-Home Naloxone program.
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- Fixed site - premises open to consumers.
- Mobile services - outreach activities provided by an agency.
Find your nearest provider organisation via Directline’s Service Finder or by calling 1800 888 236.
Information for approved organisations
The Victorian Take-Home Naloxone: operating policy and guidelines outline the requirements for organisations participating in the program.
More information
Advice on naloxone administration for health and community services
This statement provides guidance for Victorian health and community services on the administration of naloxone by workers responding to opioid overdose. It also outlines legal protections and responsibilities for both clinical and non-clinical staff, aiming to support safe and confident use of naloxone in emergency situations.
Workforce training
Approved workers must complete Penington Institute's Community Overdose Prevention Education (COPE) training before they may participate in the program.
Find out how to access COPE training at the Penington Institute.
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