Unsuspecting young people are taking one pill and dying in growing numbers. A safe nasal spray called Narcan could save their lives, but the public is unaware of the risk and the remedy.
Hey, paramedic here. I won't speak for the whole country, but it's not just fentanyl. We are getting a lot of fentanyl mixed with xylazine. Fentanyl is an opioid and shows the classic symptoms of pinpoint pupils, slowed breathing, and difficult to arouse. With xylazine, they will get extremely dilated pupils instead of the classic pinpoint, which can make it hard to figure out what's happening (and narcan does not reverse the sedative effects of xylazine).
Fentanyl poisoning causes respiratory depression and eventually respiratory failure. In addition to narcan, learn rescue breathing (taught in all CPR classes).
Even if you give someone narcan, they still need emergency care. The synthetic opiates, like fentanyl, can last longer than one dose of narcan. Call 911, be honest about what happened, we are here to help.
Thank you, Polly, for talking about this important issue. It's true that Naloxone can save lives, and the more we talk about illicit drug poisoning, the more we reduce the stigma around drug use and educate people to the dangers of the illicit supply. My son died in August of 2022. He was 25 years old and had just graduated from college. He had taken meth and possibly fentanyl. We'll never know if he meant to take the fentanyl, or if the meth was contaminated with fentanyl. We do know that he also had benzodiazepine in his system, and this is the newest drug health scare. These powerful sedatives are being added to other drugs and people aren't even aware. Like opioids, benzos also depress the respiratory system, but (tragically) don't respond to Naloxone. Kids these days are facing dangers that unheard of in our generation. It's truly frightening. My condolences for the loss of your daughter's young friend. My heart is completely shattered, as are the hearts of hundreds of parents I know who have lost children this way.
thank you for this post 💖 fyi: you can get naloxone over the counter at most pharmacies. if you have health insurance, you can use it for naloxone! for folks who use drugs and/or don’t have access to health insurance, get it here: https://nextdistro.org/naloxone#state-finder. and if you have the means, please support harm reduction groups in your community.
In Canada, Naloxone is widely available and free. However, the large majority of people who die from drug poisoning die alone. They hide their drug use. In these cases, unfortunately, Naloxone does no good as it has to be administered within minutes of the person stopping breathing.
a lot of harm reduction orgs have information about how to have a plan for drug use so that this is less likely to happen, and there is a Never Use Alone hotline that people can call and stay on the line with someone in case things don’t go as planned
People should also be aware of how to store nalaxone, especially in extreme weather seasons. It needs to be kept below 77 degrees, and shouldn’t be frozen or exposed to heat over 104 degrees. Just extra info for those who decide to get a can. Talk to your kids regularly about it and make sure they know where it is and how to administer it.
Thank you. I wanted to chip in an anecdote - a few years ago a friend’s husband took an edible from a *legal dispensary* that was tainted with fentanyl. He OD’ed and was saved with naloxone by the paramedics. The dispensary was immediately shut down and investigated. Still. The drug supply is so tainted nowadays that some care needs to be taken with even just weed gummies.
I KNOW. This was a popular dispensary in Silverlake in Los Angeles right on Sunset amid all the hip gentrified retail, too, not an obviously sketch trap shop.
Not to be a fear monger, but know your suppliers!! Keeping Narcan on hand is a good idea!
This literally is the thing here that put me into "I should have one" territory - otherwise, I don't have kids or spend time with them and I work for myself from home, I'm just not in areas with a lot of people. BUT I get weed edibles from the medical dispensaries for me and my mom. Thank you for the heads up.
I knew about Narcan, but your framing, that individuals do not have to leave this life saving measure up to a medical professional, is something I didn’t put together. I will share this with others and hopefully it will save lives.
I am so sorry about your daughter's friend. It's gut wrenching. A dear, longtime friend of mine lost her 17 year old daughter last fall in the same horrendous way. She thought she was taking something else. This is an issue that everyone should be aware of, and Narcan is something just about everyone should have in their First Aid Kit.
Thank you for posting. I have two teens and have been meaning to buy narcan for them to keep on them/in their backpacks because you never know. It’s like $50 so I’ve been putting it off. $50 is NOTHING in the big picture. Thanks for reminding me to get this done.
if the pricetag is an issue (understandably so), you can seek out a harm reduction, community-based agency in your area or find them online. many can mail you nalaxone for free. look through the top comments in this thread. someone shared a link to do precisely this.
Thank you, Heather, for swerving out of your lane. As a therapist to pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder, as someone who lost my sister to an overdose, I heartily endorse this message and would expand it to include all people who use drugs and not just the innocent or unsuspecting, everyone deserves to be safe from stigma that drives isolation and unsafe use, and from tainted drug supply— including addicts, the homeless, etc. Also, seconding what the paramedic above stated about xylazine (tranq); it’s now in 99% of the dope supply here in Philadelphia and it compounds all the negative impacts of fentanyl. There are test strips available for tranq as well. Thanks again for swerving out of your lane, now do free Palestine! ☺️
just about one of the most pressing topics one can raise awareness about. with how ubiquitous fentanyl use has gotten and how misinformed so many still are, your post is surely going to save a life or more somewhere, somehow. i appreciate you, Heather.
Two students od'ed at my son's high school last week (both survived). Deaths from fentanyl aren't uncommon at all where I live outside DC. I've had multiple conversations with my 15-year-old about how important it is to avoid all pills and powders because of the fentanyl risk. Doesn't matter if you know who got it, if they swear it is safe, if they got it out of their parent's medicine cabinet or whatever...just don't do it. It's crazy how dangerous it is. My husband and I have a lot of recreational drug experience from our youth, and we've been mostly forthcoming about that, so he hopefully takes us seriously and we're not just on a 'all drugs are bad' bandwagon.
Thanks for the link to Narcan...I will be purchasing some.
Fetanyl comes up in my work occasionally as a policy issue… I have been talking to my kids and other parents (to encourage them to talk to their kids) about the dangers of taking ANY pill randomly. Even if you think your fellow parent is aware of this, it never hursts to mention it.
Thank you Polly. I ordered Narcan to keep in our First Aid kit. It previously had not occurred to me to do this!
YES to all of this! One of my best friends nearly OD’d on New Year’s Day. She took what she thought was a painkiller from a ‘friend’ and…. Fortunately, her husband and I got her to the ER in time. It was terrifying. We live in eastern MA - it doesn’t get any bluer. This is not a “deplorables” problem - this is an everybody problem.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your daughter’s friend. How devastated those parents must be. I have a cousin who is an active addict and we are all braced for a phone call.
I recently listened to a wonderful podcast episode Never Use Alone. It’s a phone system where someone getting ready to use drugs alone calls in and the operator stays on the line. If the user is unresponsive after using the operator gets help. In the episode I listened to the woman OD’ed and the operator got EMS to her and they saved her life. It took awhile but the woman eventually got clean.
This is another service that should be more publicized and available.
Hey, paramedic here. I won't speak for the whole country, but it's not just fentanyl. We are getting a lot of fentanyl mixed with xylazine. Fentanyl is an opioid and shows the classic symptoms of pinpoint pupils, slowed breathing, and difficult to arouse. With xylazine, they will get extremely dilated pupils instead of the classic pinpoint, which can make it hard to figure out what's happening (and narcan does not reverse the sedative effects of xylazine).
Fentanyl poisoning causes respiratory depression and eventually respiratory failure. In addition to narcan, learn rescue breathing (taught in all CPR classes).
Even if you give someone narcan, they still need emergency care. The synthetic opiates, like fentanyl, can last longer than one dose of narcan. Call 911, be honest about what happened, we are here to help.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
Thank you for sharing! I confess that I have not even heard of Xylazine until I read your comment.
Thank you, Polly, for talking about this important issue. It's true that Naloxone can save lives, and the more we talk about illicit drug poisoning, the more we reduce the stigma around drug use and educate people to the dangers of the illicit supply. My son died in August of 2022. He was 25 years old and had just graduated from college. He had taken meth and possibly fentanyl. We'll never know if he meant to take the fentanyl, or if the meth was contaminated with fentanyl. We do know that he also had benzodiazepine in his system, and this is the newest drug health scare. These powerful sedatives are being added to other drugs and people aren't even aware. Like opioids, benzos also depress the respiratory system, but (tragically) don't respond to Naloxone. Kids these days are facing dangers that unheard of in our generation. It's truly frightening. My condolences for the loss of your daughter's young friend. My heart is completely shattered, as are the hearts of hundreds of parents I know who have lost children this way.
Jessica, I'm so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you.
Thank you. Looks like you've started an excellent conversation here <3
I'm so, so sorry, Jessica. My heart goes out to you and your family as well ❤️
You’re in your lane, when you speak from your heart.
thank you for this post 💖 fyi: you can get naloxone over the counter at most pharmacies. if you have health insurance, you can use it for naloxone! for folks who use drugs and/or don’t have access to health insurance, get it here: https://nextdistro.org/naloxone#state-finder. and if you have the means, please support harm reduction groups in your community.
In Canada, Naloxone is widely available and free. However, the large majority of people who die from drug poisoning die alone. They hide their drug use. In these cases, unfortunately, Naloxone does no good as it has to be administered within minutes of the person stopping breathing.
a lot of harm reduction orgs have information about how to have a plan for drug use so that this is less likely to happen, and there is a Never Use Alone hotline that people can call and stay on the line with someone in case things don’t go as planned
https://nextdistro.org/resources-collection/survival-strategies-while-using-drugs-alone
https://neverusealone.com/
People should also be aware of how to store nalaxone, especially in extreme weather seasons. It needs to be kept below 77 degrees, and shouldn’t be frozen or exposed to heat over 104 degrees. Just extra info for those who decide to get a can. Talk to your kids regularly about it and make sure they know where it is and how to administer it.
Was coming here to say this! Don’t leave it in your car. ❤️
Thank you. I wanted to chip in an anecdote - a few years ago a friend’s husband took an edible from a *legal dispensary* that was tainted with fentanyl. He OD’ed and was saved with naloxone by the paramedics. The dispensary was immediately shut down and investigated. Still. The drug supply is so tainted nowadays that some care needs to be taken with even just weed gummies.
WHAT.
DITTO
I KNOW. This was a popular dispensary in Silverlake in Los Angeles right on Sunset amid all the hip gentrified retail, too, not an obviously sketch trap shop.
Not to be a fear monger, but know your suppliers!! Keeping Narcan on hand is a good idea!
This literally is the thing here that put me into "I should have one" territory - otherwise, I don't have kids or spend time with them and I work for myself from home, I'm just not in areas with a lot of people. BUT I get weed edibles from the medical dispensaries for me and my mom. Thank you for the heads up.
Thank you. This is how I lost my younger brother a few years ago. Until then I had no idea, and there still needs to be so much more awareness.
I'm so sorry about your brother, Arden. Sending you love ❤️
I knew about Narcan, but your framing, that individuals do not have to leave this life saving measure up to a medical professional, is something I didn’t put together. I will share this with others and hopefully it will save lives.
Me too! I know firsthand how deadly fentanyl is, but don't keep Narcan next to the bandaids in my purse.
I am so sorry about your daughter's friend. It's gut wrenching. A dear, longtime friend of mine lost her 17 year old daughter last fall in the same horrendous way. She thought she was taking something else. This is an issue that everyone should be aware of, and Narcan is something just about everyone should have in their First Aid Kit.
Thank you for posting. I have two teens and have been meaning to buy narcan for them to keep on them/in their backpacks because you never know. It’s like $50 so I’ve been putting it off. $50 is NOTHING in the big picture. Thanks for reminding me to get this done.
if the pricetag is an issue (understandably so), you can seek out a harm reduction, community-based agency in your area or find them online. many can mail you nalaxone for free. look through the top comments in this thread. someone shared a link to do precisely this.
Thank you, Heather, for swerving out of your lane. As a therapist to pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder, as someone who lost my sister to an overdose, I heartily endorse this message and would expand it to include all people who use drugs and not just the innocent or unsuspecting, everyone deserves to be safe from stigma that drives isolation and unsafe use, and from tainted drug supply— including addicts, the homeless, etc. Also, seconding what the paramedic above stated about xylazine (tranq); it’s now in 99% of the dope supply here in Philadelphia and it compounds all the negative impacts of fentanyl. There are test strips available for tranq as well. Thanks again for swerving out of your lane, now do free Palestine! ☺️
just about one of the most pressing topics one can raise awareness about. with how ubiquitous fentanyl use has gotten and how misinformed so many still are, your post is surely going to save a life or more somewhere, somehow. i appreciate you, Heather.
Two students od'ed at my son's high school last week (both survived). Deaths from fentanyl aren't uncommon at all where I live outside DC. I've had multiple conversations with my 15-year-old about how important it is to avoid all pills and powders because of the fentanyl risk. Doesn't matter if you know who got it, if they swear it is safe, if they got it out of their parent's medicine cabinet or whatever...just don't do it. It's crazy how dangerous it is. My husband and I have a lot of recreational drug experience from our youth, and we've been mostly forthcoming about that, so he hopefully takes us seriously and we're not just on a 'all drugs are bad' bandwagon.
Thanks for the link to Narcan...I will be purchasing some.
Fetanyl comes up in my work occasionally as a policy issue… I have been talking to my kids and other parents (to encourage them to talk to their kids) about the dangers of taking ANY pill randomly. Even if you think your fellow parent is aware of this, it never hursts to mention it.
Thank you Polly. I ordered Narcan to keep in our First Aid kit. It previously had not occurred to me to do this!
YES to all of this! One of my best friends nearly OD’d on New Year’s Day. She took what she thought was a painkiller from a ‘friend’ and…. Fortunately, her husband and I got her to the ER in time. It was terrifying. We live in eastern MA - it doesn’t get any bluer. This is not a “deplorables” problem - this is an everybody problem.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hope this can reach the people who are clueless about this epidemic
I’m so sorry for the loss of your daughter’s friend. How devastated those parents must be. I have a cousin who is an active addict and we are all braced for a phone call.
I recently listened to a wonderful podcast episode Never Use Alone. It’s a phone system where someone getting ready to use drugs alone calls in and the operator stays on the line. If the user is unresponsive after using the operator gets help. In the episode I listened to the woman OD’ed and the operator got EMS to her and they saved her life. It took awhile but the woman eventually got clean.
This is another service that should be more publicized and available.