Toxic drug alert issued in Coquitlam
Fraser Health recently issued an alert about toxic drugs circulating in Coquitlam.
The health authority issued the alert May 2, soon after they tested drugs and found high levels of xylazine (Tranq) in combination with xylazine (Tranq) in combination with nifoxipam (benzodiazepine analog) and fentanyl.
“It was our understanding that this was only a small sample and that there was likely more of that batch of drugs still in the community, and that’s [what] led us to make sure that we released an alert as soon as we could, so that other folks would be aware, said Dr. John Harding, a public health physician.
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The drugs can slow or stop a person’s breathing.
While the effects of fentanyl, which is an opioid, is reversible with naloxone, this isn’t the case for the other two drugs.
“Unfortunately, the concern with benzodiazepines and things like tranq, is that they don’t respond to naloxone,” Dr. Harding said.
Typically when someone overdoses, they lose consciousness, decrease breathing, have blue lips, and become cold and unresponsive, he explained.
If people who can administer naloxone are around, they can give that to the person, “but they would usually need to go to the hospital for supportive treatment. Something like this makes it a bit more urgent, because naloxone doesn’t buy them the extra time that it typically would.”
There are a number of overdose prevention sites in the region, where people can get drugs checked, consume unregulated substances under supervision, take home naloxone training, and more.
Otherwise, to prevent overdoses, Dr. Harding’s advice is to: “start small, go slow to how it feels, and then try to use with others.”
If people are using alone, “ideally, they find ways for people to check on them.” He recommended people use apps like The Lifeguard App or the Be Safe App.
He added not to mix it with other drugs as that increase risk for sedation, like alcohol or prescription or nonprescription benzos.
Toxic drug crisis
Down used to be mostly heroin, Dr. Harding said.
“And then as the toxic drug crisis proceeded and the emergency was declared in 2016, the problem was that we were seeing more and more fentanyl than heroin in down.”
More than 16,000 people have lost their lives to the toxic drug crisis since it was declared a public health emergency. While Dr. Harding said “there’s no definitive answer” to why the unregulated drug supply has gotten so toxic, he said the entry of fentanyl into the unregulated market “certainly changed the trajectory.”
“It’s just a far more potent drug supply, and it continues to continue to get worse and get worse over time.”
in B.C., adults over 18 who possess small amounts of certain illicit drugs (opioids, crack, powder cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA) for personal use are currently decriminalized, but it remains illegal to possess more than 2.5 grams of those drugs.
