MIAMI, Fla. — The Miami field workplace of the Drug Enforcement Administration warned Florida communities there had been a rise in mass-overdose events throughout the Sunshine State associated to drug provides laced with a synthetic opioid.
The DEA mentioned synthetic opioids like fentanyl are cheap to provide, extremely addictive and are being combined with different illicit medicine to drive dependancy and create repeat consumers. The DEA and different specialists have mentioned a dosage as small as 2 milligrams is sufficient fentanyl to be lethal for some adults.
According to the DEA, there have been synthetic opioid mass-overdose events (3 or extra overdoses occurring shut in time and on the identical location) in a minimum of three Florida counties over the past two weeks. Those events have resulted in hospitalizations and deaths.
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Mass-overdose events usually happen when criminals market medicine like cocaine, meth, or heroin when the drug is definitely a synthetic opioid like fentanyl or when drug sellers promote faux prescription capsules that look professional however truly are laced with fentanyl, the DEA mentioned.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the indicators to search for with a fentanyl overdose embrace:
- small, constricted ‘pinpoint pupils’
- falling asleep or shedding consciousness
- gradual, weak, or no respiration
- choking or gurgling sounds
- limp physique
- chilly and/or clammy pores and skin
- discolored pores and skin (particularly in lips and nails)
If you suppose somebody is overdosing, even for those who’re undecided, the CDC said to take the next steps:
- Call 911
- Administer naloxone (NARCAN), if accessible
- Try to maintain the individual awake and respiration
- Lay the individual on their facet to forestall choking
- Stay with the individual till emergency help arrives
Naloxone/Narcan is out there over-the-counter at pharmacies throughout Florida. It’s additionally accessible in each county in the state of Florida. A full list of locations can be found here.
