Naloxone, Narcan, Naltrexone, Suboxone… What’s the difference?

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  • Naloxone is the generic name for the opioid overdose reversal (“antidote”) medication.
  • Narcan is one brand name of the prepackaged nasal spray naloxone
  • Suboxone is the brand name for buprenorphine + naloxone (prescribed as Medication Assisted Treatment for opioid use disorder)
  • Naloxone ≠ naltrexone (longer-acting opioid antagonist for alcohol use disorder treatment and relapse prevention in opioid use disorder)