United States – The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) named May 10 as National Fentanyl Awareness Day in efforts to educate the public on the dangers of the drug.
Fentanyl is responsible for killing thousands of people throughout the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 107 thousand people died as the result of a drug overdose during a 12-month period ending November 2021. Sixty-six percent of overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids such as Fentanyl.
This year in Yakima County, there have been 25 overdose deaths so far. The Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice said about half of those deaths are Fentanyl related. In 2021, 98 people died from overdoses and about 65 to 70% of them are Fentanyl related.
According to Bob Lutz from the Washington Department of Health, Fentanyl abuse has continued to rise over the years and it now makes up the lion’s share of the drugs overdosed on.
“I don’t think we’ve seen such an explosion of a deadly substance as we have with Fentanyl,” Lutz said.
Curtice said he often looks at the bags of Fentanyl seized by law enforcement and wonders how many lives have been saved by the seizure.
Generally speaking, a deadly dose of Fentanyl is 2 milligrams but it can depend on what other substance the person is on and their size.
One way people take Fentanyl is through blue pills called “Mexis” or “M-30’s” and each pill contains a different amount of the drug.
The DEA warns four out of every 10 pills will have over a lethal dose of Fentanyl.
“It truly is buyer beware because you really do not know what you’re getting,” Lutz said.
Overdoses are often poly-substance, meaning the person overdosing often took more than one drug. Fentanyl is also often laced with other drugs.
According to Curtice, tests they’ve done on Fentanyl recovered rarely comeback as pure Fentanyl.
“Fentanyl comes back with acetaminophen, melatonin, just whatever they mix into their batch so basically these people are taking a huge risk,” Curtice said.
The reason this drug is so popular is the high profit and low cost for distributors to make. It is especially popular for younger people in their teens or even 20’s and 30’s.
Lutz said this is often a drug people taking opioids seek out or one people choose to experiment with but it comes with deadly consequences.
Another way this drug is being distributed into our communities is by tricking people who think they’re buying one drug but they actually get something else.
“People may think they’re taking a pharmaceutical but in actuality they’re taking an illicit Fentanyl,” Lutz said.
Lutz said having a National Fentanyl Awareness Day is important so people can learn about the signs of an overdose and how they can help if someone overdoses.
Signs of an overdose include the person under the influence feeling sleepy, appearing blue or their lips turning blue. More extreme symptoms include passing out or not breathing.
You can try to reverse an overdose by using the drug Naloxone. This drug reverses the effects of opioids like Fentanyl. It can be administered many different ways but the easiest way is through a nasal spray. Naloxone is the generic brand but Narcan is another option.
You can find this drug by asking your provider for it if you have a known drug user in your family or going to any pharmacy and asking for it.
WA State law RCW 69.41.095 allows anyone “at risk for having or witnessing a drug overdose” to obtain an opioid overdose medication and administer it.
If you choose to use the nasal spray in the event of an overdose, Lutz said some Fentanyl doses are so potent, you may have to spray each nostril more than once to get the person conscious again.
Washington State Good Samaritan Law protects anyone administering Naloxone or Narcan like it would giving someone CPR, however, Lutz said the drug is perfectly safe.
“Naloxone is a very safe medication, it’s not as if you’re giving someone a deadly medication, ” Lutz said. “Quite the opposite, you’re providing a medication to treat a deadly overdose.”
The typical shelf life of the drug is 18 to 24 months from the date of manufacture so always check the expiration date.
After administered, make sure you get the person to the hospital. Naloxone leaves a person’s body faster than Fentanyl does so even after administering it, they could go back to a state of overdose.
To learn more about Naloxone visit Stopoverdose.org
