It can save lives in the event of an opioid overdose, but officials are warning people to be weary of how they’re storing naloxone kits in the cold weather.
“Naloxone should always be stored in a warm and dry place,” said Paige Allert, the Take Home Naloxone (THN) program manager with ARCHES Lethbridge.
It’s recommended that kits be kept between 5 C and 25 C, as officials said allowing them to freeze or to get too hot can diminish the potency of the medication.
This means more doses could be required to effectively reverse an overdose.
“Allowing these kits to get too hot or too cold doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t work, but more than one dose may have to be administered and not everyone carries around more than one, it becomes very inconvenient” said Allert.
Officials say anyone storing these kits should be sure to limit their exposure to the elements, keeping them indoors whenever possible.
“A lot of people like to carry them in their cars and that’s great but you should always take them inside with you when you can,” said Allert.
Additional naloxone kits can be picked up at a supervised consumption site and Alberta Health Services, existing kits can also be exchanged if you’re worried yours may have been affected.
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