Narcan and Pregnancy

Can Pregnant Women Use Narcan?

Narcan^® (naloxone hydrochloride) is a prescription medication used to reverse the effects of opioid medications. It is generally considered safe for use during pregnancy.

What Is Pregnancy Category B?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Narcan is classified as a pregnancy Category B medication.

Pregnancy Category B is given to medicines that have not been adequately studied in pregnant humans but do not appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies. Medications that have been shown to be safe for use in pregnancy in humans but have caused problems in laboratory animals are also given a Category B rating.

Narcan has not been adequately studied in pregnant women. There are reports of Narcan increasing fetal heart rate and the number of fetal body movements when used in late pregnancy. However, the drug has also been used safely in pregnant women, as well as in newborns within a few minutes of birth. In animal studies, Narcan did not cause problems when given to pregnant rats or mice, even in doses that were up to 1,000 times the normally recommended human dose.

However, it is important to note that animals do not always respond to medicines in the same way that humans do. Therefore, a pregnancy Category B medicine should be given to a pregnant woman only if her healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh any possible risks to her unborn child.