Santa Barbara County has not escaped the impacts from the national opioid crisis, but a lifesaving drug used to reverse overdoses may soon be sold over the counter here.

Naloxone — the opioid-reversal drug more commonly known by its brand name, Narcan — is available from pharmacies without a physician’s prescription. It’s considered a “behind-the-counter” drug, however, which means people must request it from a pharmacist.

The Food & Drug Administration is now considering making it available over the counter without a prescription, like aspirin and antacids.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 107,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2021.

In February, an FDA advisory panel — including the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee — unanimously voted to recommend that the fast-acting naloxone nasal spray be sold over the counter.

“The FDA panel recommendation does not mean that the drug can be bought (over the counter) immediately,” a Healthline article reported following the recommendation. “Instead, it means we are one step closer to the drug’s prescription status being removed and being reclassified as an (over-the-counter) drug.”

The opioid crisis is just as prevalent locally, if not more so.

According to the Opioid Safety SB’s website, there has been a decline in the rate of opioid prescriptions in Santa Barbara County since 2016, but the rate has “remained slightly but consistently higher than the state over the last decade.”

“Narcan is a harmless, yet miraculous drug that reverses the often lethal effects of an opioid overdose,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told Noozhawk.

He said the Sheriff’s Department and Project Opioid, a coalition of community leaders from different disciplines, support making Narcan an over-the-counter drug as well as programs to make it easier to distribute to the public.

“The rapid administration of Narcan is critical to saving someone’s life in an opioid overdose or poisoning situation,” Brown said. “We envision a time when Narcan will be readily available, widely distributed and publicly accessible in public buildings and private businesses that are open to the public — much like fire extinguishers, automated external defibrillators (A.E.D.s) and first-aid kits are now.”

Opioid Safety SB’s data also show almost two deaths a week from an overdose involving opioids in the county.

In 2019, Cottage Health emergency departments at its Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez hospitals saw an average of 85 patients a month for an adverse event due to opioids.

“Here in Santa Barbara, we’ve worked with the Naloxone Distribution Project to make sure that naloxone is really broadly available,” said Melissa Wilkins, division chief of the county’s Alcohol and Drug Programs.

“It’s huge because the increase in fentanyl being added to illicit opioids and mixed in with other drugs has put individuals at higher risk of fentanyl poisoning.”

Wilkins added that California and Santa Barbara County, in particular, have prioritized the accessibility of Narcan but, if the FDA does make the drug available over the counter, it would make distributing it easier in communities that don’t have as many resources.

Santa Barbara County residents can receive naloxone in several ways free of charge, including at one of the county’s multiple distribution sites, through Naloxone Now SB — which allows the public to request Narcan online — from a community organization that distributes naloxone, and more.

Click here for a list of distribution sites from the county’s Fentanyl Is Forever website, as well as information on obtaining naloxone.

Wilkins said that between 2018 and 2021, since working with the Naloxone Distribution Project, more than 1,100 overdose reversals have been reported locally, not including naloxone administered by first responders.

“If you or someone you know is misusing opioids or other substances, there’s hope and there’s a lot of resources available in the community,” she said, advising people to reach out to the county Behavioral Health Department in these cases.

“There’s a lot of hope for people to get support, and they can receive services and obtain recovery from opioid misuse disorder.”