Opioids and Naloxone
Hey Besties, it's time to get serious about Opioids!
Did you know that opioids have been popping up across all drug classes in NSW's illicit drug supply, including ketamine, MDMA, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, counterfeit benzodiazepines and illicit vape juice. When substances are found to have been adulterated (laced), we post community drug alert warnings on our instagram page @betweenthelines.acon and on our website here.
Concerningly, the opioid that has been popping up the most is Nitazenes. Nitazenes are a potent synthetic opioid that are up to 100x stronger than fentanyl. These opioids are so strong that an amount smaller than a few grains of sugar can cause a severe (even fatal) opioid overdose. These opioids have caused overdose among people who have an opioid tolerance and pose a major risk to people who do not have an opioid tolerance. You can find out more about Nitazenes here.
There are a few things you can do to protect yourself and your community against opioid overdose.
The first is knowing the signs of an opioid overdose and how to respond. Check out our instagram post here to familiarise yourself with the signs of opioid overdose.
Naloxone is a medication that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and can restore breathing within 3 minutes. This medication is available for FREE from any ACON NSP and other participating NSPs and pharmacies. It comes as a convenient nasal spray and an injectable, so having some on you at all times is easy! For more info on Naloxone and where you can pick some up, check out: Hot People Carry Naloxone
Drug checking is another great way to reduce the risks of an opioid overdose.
If you're visiting Canberra, stop in and see our friends at CanTest to get your drugs checked.
If you're in Queensland, you can get your drugs checked with our friends The Loop in the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
If you're in NSW, you may be able to get your drugs checked in the new drug checking trial due to take place across 12 music festivals in 12 months. More details on this to come.
You can also use fentanyl test strips, nitazenes test trips and other at home reagent tests which can be purchased online, to reduce your risk of an opioid overdose.
As always, start low and go slow and never be afraid to reach out for help.