Heroin Found In Cocaine and ‘Ice,’ and Snorting a Line Can Be Lethal

Authorories in New South Wales and Victory have been warning the public about working Cases of heroin Overdoses after People Thought They Had Taken cocaine or Methamphetamine.

We Know the Issue Is Also Relevant To other parts of Australia. AND IT’S PARTICULALLY CONSERNING BECAUSE HEROIN CAN CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING OPIOID, PARTY IN PEOPLE Inexperience with Heroin Who snort it.

Ury New Research SHEDS MORE LIGHT ON WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE WHAL ACCIDENTALLY TOOK HEROIN THINking It was someone Something Else.

What We Did and What We Found

We are part of a NSW HEALTH PROGRAM That help to find and Quickly Responing to Concerning Illicit and Recreational Drug Poisonings and Trends. The Program is a Collaboration Beteen Many Government Health Services, Including Hospital, The NSW POISONS INFORMATION CENTER and lab.

We Searched Our Database and Found 34 Cases of Opioid Overdoses After Using What People Thought to Be a Stimulant Drug Between January 2022 and June 2024. Total of 19 People Thought They Were Thre Taking Cocaine and 15 Methamphetamine.

Most of These 34 People Had a Severe Opioid Overdose Requiring Treatment by Paramedics and In Hospital. SADLY, Two People Died.

Heroin was the opioid in all cases where we were specifically tested for it, and we suspect all the cases.

Cases Occred Across NSW But Most Cases (68%) Were in Sydney. In the Last Eight Months Of Our Study We Identified Multiple Cases Each Month, Which May Indicate These Cases Are Becoming More Common.

In the United States, Drugs Like Cocaine and Methamphetamine Are Sometimes Mixed with the Potent Opioid Drug fentanyl. UNINTENTIAL THIS USE OF OPIOIDS IS Causing Many Deaths in the US. But we did find any evidence that fentanyl was the cause of the overdoses we examined.

What Happens When You Take Heroin By Accident?

Cocaine and Methamphetamine Are Stimulant Drugs. These are Drugs That Make a Person Feel Moregetic and Confident, and Their Pupils Becoma Larger.

They have the opposition effect to heroin, Which is an opioid and sedative. Heroin and Other Opioids Make A Person Feel Relaxed and Often Drowsy, with Smaller Pupils.

When Overdo, Opioids Cause Loss of Consciousness and A Person’s Breathing Slows or Even Stops, Which is Life-Threading. Severe Opioid Overdose Without Prompt Treatment is Lethal.

If you expect to be taking cocaine or methamphetamine, but it is currently heroin, or has heroin in it, you will look likedose. This is particularly true if you don’t usually Take opioids, or if you use it for the first time. People Can Overdose from as Little Snorting A Line.

Why is this happy?

Sometimes People Get A Different Drug Thanda. This can Happen BECAUSE the Drug is Mixed with Something else or Swapped.

This can happen for Many ReasonsIncluding During Manufacturing and Distribution. IT Can Happen Contentionally or Unintentinally by the Dealer or People Using the Drug.

One Major Reason is That You Sometimes Can’t Tell Herain Apart From Cocaine or Methamphetine Just by Looking at Them. So if Drugs are Mixed or Swapped, You Can’t Always Tell Until You Take Them.

What can we do the about it?

OPIOID DEATHS ARE PREVENTABLE. Government and community groups are Working together to Respond to the Problem, Either via ISSUING DRUG ALERTS or by education Their Members.

But People Who Take Illicit or Recreational Drugs Can Reduce Their Risk by Avoiding Drugs Alone, and by Making Sure One Person In Their Group is Able to Get Help if Needed.

UNEXPEDED SLEEPINESS IS A REASON TO SEEK HELP, NOT TO SIMPLY REST. START CPR IF Someone is not responsive and call 000.

How About Naloxone?

Definery, If Someone is Experiencing Ano Opioid Overdose, Give Them naloxone The Soon Possible them.

Naloxone is a life-saving medicine that can temporary reverse an opioid overdose. It eats in an easy-to-use nasal spray, and as a prefilled injection.

IT’S AVAILABLE FOR FREE AND WITHINT A PRESCRIPTION via The National Take home naloxone program. You can also order it online and get it by post.

NALOXONE IS FOR ANYONE WHO MAY EXPERIENCE, OR WITNESS, ANPIOID OVERDOSE OR ADVERSE REACTION.

NSW AUTHORITIES REMERTING IT For People Who use Any Illicit Drugs Including Opioids, Stimulants (Like Cocaine, Methamphetamine and MDMA), Ketamine and Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals, Due to the Risk of Drugs Being Mixed with Something Else or Swapped. Call 000 Even If You have Given Naloxone.

This article is republished from The Conversation Under Creative Commons License. Read the Original Article.