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By "narcotics", do you mean narcotic painkillers (opiates like morphine, vicodin, heroin, etc.), or do you just mean drugs in general? The term really only refers to opiates, but some people use it in a broader way.

Either naloxone or naltrexone will completely reverse the effects of opiate drugs. Naloxone works quicker, but it needs to be injected and it only lasts a couple hours. Naltrexone can be taken orally and will block the effects of opiates for a few days.

If you're talking about psychoactive drugs in general, there is no single antidote. You need to figure out what the drug does, then administer something that either blocks it's action or has the opposite effect. It's better and safer to use a blocking agent if possible, but sometimes there is no blocking agent. Trying to counteract the effects of a drug is dangerous because you can go too far in the opposite direction, or the effects may not be perfectly opposed. Below are possible antidotes for different classes of drugs:

Opiates

Naloxone or naltrexone are far and away the best choices. If neither is available and the person is in danger, it may be possible to use a stimulant like caffeine or amphetamine to counteract the depressant effects of opiates, but this should be a last resort. Death from opiate overdose can take a day or more, so there is usually time to get the person to a hospital.

Stimulants

There is no readily available blocking agent, so treatment is symptomatic. Fast acting benzodiazapines are effective, along with ice packs or misting to prevent hyperthermia. Other medications are employed in severe cases, but you are unlikely to have access to them. True overdoses are uncommon in regular users, and it's usually best to keep the person cool and calm, and wait it out.

Depressants

There is no particularly effective antidote. Stimulants counteract many of the effects, but the combination can lead to hyperthermia and seizures.

Ecstasy

SSRIs like Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, etc., seem to effectively cancel out the effects of MDMA, and also protect against toxicity.

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Q: What is an agent that works against the effects of narcotics?
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