Cocaine and crack cocaine mixed or cut with fentanyl are suspected of being significant contributing factors driving an increase in overdose-related calls in recent days, public health and emergency response organizations in Ottawa said Wednesday.
In a joint notice posted on social media, Ottawa Public Health, the Ottawa Police Service and the Ottawa Paramedic Service said illicit fentanyl was extremely toxic and increased the risk of overdose and overdose-related death.
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“It can be mixed with other drugs such as heroin and cocaine and it is also being found in unregulated pills that are made to look like other prescription pills,” the notice added. “When you are getting drugs anywhere other than a pharmacy or medical professional, like from a friend, ordering online, or a dealer, there is no way to be sure exactly what is in them or how toxic they may be.”
Specifics about the recent frequency of overdose-related calls that sparked Wednesday’s advisory were not available. A spokesperson for the paramedic service said it did not track the number of overdoses “as they present in various forms and toxicology reports, or further assessments are required.
“However, over the last seven days, paramedics administered the opioid antidote Naloxone to 12 patients, compared to four the week before,” the spokesperson added in an email. “This doesn’t include Naloxone doses given by the public or supervised consumption and treatment sites. This also doesn’t include fatal overdoses, where Naloxone is generally not given.”
In early July, the Ottawa Overdose Prevention and Response Task Force reported at least 22 overdose-related calls, including five fatalities, within a week. That spate of incidents was blamed on a batch of tainted drugs that had arrived in the city.
Wednesday’s notice encouraged individuals using drugs to follow several best practices: never use alone; if using in the company of someone else, don’t use at the same time as each other; don’t mix drugs, which results in a higher risk of overdose; go slow as the quality of illicit drugs can be unpredictable; carry Naloxone, for which kits are available for free in Ontario; know your tolerance; consider visiting one of four Supervised Consumption and Treatment Services locations in Ottawa; if using alone, tell someone beforehand and have a safety plan.
Friends and family members of those using drugs were encouraged to know the signs of overdose, to carry Naloxone and to call 9-1-1 immediately if they witnessed an overdose.
Indications of an opioid overdose include: slow breathing or no breathing at all; blue lips and nails; a person not moving, choking, making gurgling or snoring sounds; the person can’t be awoken or their skin feels cold and clammy, and their pupils may be tiny.
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