Eight overdoses related to fentanyl
'A single pill can kill,' emergency room doctor warns
Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Saturday, November 26, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Northerners are being cautioned to be on high alert after eight near-fatal fentanyl overdoses occurred in Yellowknife last week.
RCMP are seen outside a house on Borden Drive on Friday morning, near Range Lake North School. Yellowknife RCMP received several calls related to suspected opioid overdoses in a span of 24 hours, according to an RCMP news release issued Nov. 25. - Kirsten Fenn/NNSL photo
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"What we've noticed over the last 48 hours is a massive spike in the number of people coming in by ambulance suffering from what we call an opioid overdose caused by a very potent type of street fentanyl," Dr. David Pontin, an emergency room physician at Stanton Territorial Hospital, told media during a teleconference Nov. 25.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Andre Corriveau issued an advisory the same afternoon warning of a string of overdoses and the dangers of illicit opioids.
The eight overdoses ranged from non-severe to near-fatal, with a few "really, really big near misses," said Pontin.
In his 10 years at Stanton, Pontin said he has only seen about two or three opioid overdoses.
A Nov. 25 news release issued by Yellowknife RCMP said its members had responded to several calls relating to suspected opioid overdoses in the last 24 hours.
One officer was sent to hospital after being exposed to an "unknown substance" at one of the scenes and has since been released, the news release stated.
RCMP were seen outside a home on Borden Drive in Yellowknife that morning where yellow police tape was stretched across a garage door. An ambulance was parked outside. The home is a stone's throw from Range Lake North School.
The focus now is on preventing any deaths or further harm, including in communities outside of Yellowknife where health officials fear the drug may have spread.
"Right now we feel that there's a need to spread the message further into our communities that some of those drugs that are produced . . . are very unsafe and can kill you, even if you're a first-time user," said Corriveau.
It is not known where the drugs originated from.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Opiods are used by physicians to treat pain but are popular among drug users for their euphoric effects and is highly addictive.
"In small doses these can be very effective," said Pontin. However, he added, "hyper-potent" street forms, such as those responsible for last week's string of emergencies, can be many hundreds or even 1,000 times stronger than what is provided for therapy.
"A single pill can kill," said Pontin. "There's something about what's in town right now that's on a magnitude many times higher than what we're used to."
According to the health advisory, fentanyl and related compounds are being mixed with or substituted for other drugs. They can come in several forms, such as powder, pill, liquid or blotter.
Anyone who suspects they have found fentanyl is warned not to touch, handle or inhale it as contact can be fatal even in small doses. It kills by slowing down heart and lung functions.
"And that's how people die, they stop breathing and their heart stops and they stop responding," said Pontin.
Other overdose symptoms include blue lips and nails, lack of movement, choking, gurgling sounds or snoring, severe sleepiness, cold and clammy skin, and an inability to wake up, according to last week's health advisory.
Corriveau said it is his understanding that the RCMP has access to naloxone to treat overdoses, which works to counter the effects of opioids on the brain. Emergency responders in Yellowknife began training to deliver naloxone in January.
In April, police confiscated 1,200 fentanyl pills from an alleged drug network in Yellowknife. Five people in the NWT have died with fentanyl in their systems since 2009, according to information from the coroner's office.
Yellowknife RCMP are helping the NWT's Federal Investigations Unit investigate the overdoses.
"With the suspected opioid overdoses occurring in a relatively short time-frame, we are encouraging those who are drug users to be especially attentive to the supply of drugs and those who may (be) consuming them," Sgt. Dean Riou stated in the RCMP's news release.
"If you are a drug user, RCMP advise you to exercise caution when dealing with unknown opioids. If you have a loved one who you believe may be using drugs, please check on them regularly."
