While it may seem the fentanyl crisis is far-removed from Athabasca, Alberta Health Services says awareness is key to combatting the highly addictive drug that has taken hundreds of Albertan lives.
During one of the sessions at Athabasca County’s 2017 Farm Women’s Conference, AHS addictions counsellor Debbie Hammond spoke about what fentanyl is, what an overdose looks like and how it can be treated.
“It’s something that’s very important for people to be aware of, and awareness is a huge way we can combat things,” Hammond said.
According to AHS, there were 193 deaths related to fentanyl from January to September 2016. In 2015, there were 257 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Alberta, up from 117 in 2014, 66 in 2013, 29 in 2012 and six in 2011.
Fentanyl is an opioid, like heroine, and binds to the opioid receptors in human brains, Hammond said, adding that it kills by slowing breathing functions until the brain is starved of oxygen.
Normally fentanyl is used to treat sever pain, such as after surgery or for cancer patients, Hammond said, and she advised if people are using the opioid to only go with prescription fentanyl.
“You can find fentanyl in any drug,” she said. “The person may be unaware what they’re taking is or has fentanyl.”
Hammond said contributing factors to overdoses include a reduction in tolerance – a very small amount of fentanyl can be lethal – and mixing with other drugs or alcohol.
Signs that someone is overdosing are slowed breathing, blue nails and lips, gurgling sounds, cold clammy skin, seizures or the person can’t wake up at all.
The only way to counteract a fentanyl overdose is administering another drug called naloxone, she said, which doesn’t create a high and blocks the effect of the opioid.
However, Hammond said emergency services should always be summoned, because the naloxone has a short-lived effect, and the person may slip back into overdosing.
Naloxone kits are available in Athabasca at the Athabasca Community Health Centre, The Medicine Shoppe, Athabasca Value Drug Mart, and Tipton’s Independent Grocer. AHS gives the kits for free and provides tutorials on how to use naloxone.
“Just like with fentanyl, any street drug, you really are playing Russian roulette,” Hammond said. “You just don’t know what you’re getting.”
