The provision of take-home naloxone to patients doesn’t encourage wider use of illicit or pharmaceutical opioids, an Australian systematic review finds.

The idea that patients might use naloxone as a “safety net” and put themselves at risk of overdose is one reason some doctors give for being reticent to prescribe the emergency treatment, but there is no evidence for this, say the researchers from Monash University and the Burnet Institute, Melbourne.

Their review covers seven studies: one from Australia and six from North America, with a total of 2600 participants.

Most studies looked at self-reported use of heroin, pharmaceutical opioids, benzodiazepines, alcohol or cocaine after naloxone provision, with three focusing on cannabis use.