FDA approves over-the-counter sales of Narcan. But would you know what to do to save a life?

In Pennsylvania, accidental drug overdoses are now the number one cause of death for people under 40 killing more than 5,000 in our state every year. Most of the drug overdoses are caused by opioids or fentanyl.

In a move that health experts say may reduce the number of fentanyl deaths, the FDA has approved over-the-counter sales of Narcan nasal spray a medication that rapidly reverses fentanyl overdose. That means you can get it without a prescription, and there are some places that distribute it for free.

Tom Bott and Sherry Jo Matt went away for one weekend, while their 20-year-old daughter Siena stayed behind at their Wexford home. Soon after, Siena, who struggled with mental health and addiction throughout her teens, texted her parents that she was feeling anxious and wanted something “to take the edge off”.

“The next phone call I got was that our daughter was dead,” said Sherry Jo.

Siena’s parents later learned that their daughter had taken a Percocet pill, laced with fentanyl.