Overdose education with naloxone distribution, syringe exchange, fentanyl testing, and pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention are strategies that addiction providers can use in practice to reduce harm from substance use.

The CDC recommends naloxone prescriptions be offered to patients at risk for overdose, including those with opioid use disorder, those prescribed greater than 50 morphine milligram equivalents daily, and those concurrently prescribed benzodiazepines and opioids.

Clinicians can educate themselves about their states’ Good Samaritan laws and syringe exchange laws in order to counsel patients about overdose risk.