Posted on 07/14/2023 11:04:03 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A woman with short red hair and black glasses stands in front of a woman with blonde hair and a pink blazer Victoria Cock says protonitazene has been mixed with other drugs.(ABC News) Share this article
Health authorities across Australia have begun issuing warnings about a deadly new drug called protonitazene, which has been linked to at least one person's death.
The drug has been described as a very strong synthetic opioid which can be fatal even in small amounts.
It has been detected in Victoria and Queensland, and most recently in South Australia, where health authorities have linked it to an Adelaide man's death and multiple overdoses.
Health officials said protonitazene has been mixed with other drugs, which has made it difficult to identify where exactly it has come from.
Here's what we know about the drug so far.
What is protonitazene and how toxic is it? Protonitazene is a new synthetic opioid that can cause "lethal" toxic effects at very low doses, according to South Australia's acting chief public health officer Chris Lease.
Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia's acting state director, Victoria Cock, said the illicit drug is three times stronger than fentanyl and almost 130 times stronger than morphine.
A white hospital building with blue and green windows, with green trees in front of it Anyone who experiences unexpected effects of protonitazene should call triple-0 immediately. (ABC News: Che Chorley) Dr Cock said the drug has often been mixed with other drugs, including methamphetamine, GHB and ketamine.
"For all of our recreational drug users, everyone is at risk, not just those people who use opioids," Dr Cock said.
Australian National University clinical lecturer David Caldicott told the ABC that the drug was very potent and difficult to dose, because just a small amount could cause death.
"Too much is enough to make you stop breathing because that's … the mechanism whereby people get into strife," Dr Caldicott said.
Dr Caldicott said the drug could also interfere with any other medications a person might be taking.
What are the symptoms of an overdose? Dr Cock said consumers of the drug would start to experience symptoms common of opioid use, such as small pupils, shallow breathing and drowsiness.
She said someone's condition could deteriorate quickly and symptoms of shallow breathing were "fairly dangerous".
hands hold a pre-loaded syringe in a yellow casing. Naloxone is available from over 300 pharmacies in South Australia for free. (ABC News) Dr Caldicott said consumers wouldn't notice that they had overdosed but the people around them would.
"It's probably the people around you who are more likely to identify what's going on, likely to see that you're sedated, that you're not breathing as well, that you are in a state of collapse, or unconsciousness," he said.
"All of those [symptoms] should prompt individuals to call for an ambulance or medical help."
Dr Caldicott said the drug could deprive the brain of oxygen, which could be catastrophic.
How can users be safe? Protonitazene can be unknowingly mixed with other drugs, and Dr Cock said that meant all recreational drug users needed to be aware of the risks.
She said there were some "harm reduction measures" drug consumers could take to make sure they got the help they needed if they had an adverse reaction to the opioid.
Health authorities issue warning over synthetic opioid The latest suspected cases follow two confirmed overdoses last week.
An ambulance driving past the Royal Adelaide Hospital Read more Dr Cock said consumers should use drugs in a group or in a public space, in case they began to feel unwell and require urgent medical attention.
Dr Cock said if someone decided to take protonitazene, they should do so only in "very, very tiny" amounts.
She encouraged recreational drug users to access naloxone — which is an effective antidote for protonitazene — and is available at over 330 pharmacies across South Australia.
Naloxone comes in two forms — a take-home spray or preloaded injectable syringe.
The medication is available at most pharmacies without a prescription and at no cost, Dr Cock said.
What do you do if you're having an adverse reaction to the drug? SA Health said anyone who experienced unexpected effects of protonitazene should call triple-0 or present to the nearest emergency department immediately.
Dr Cock said drug consumers should keep a charged phone with them in case they need to call triple-0 if something goes wrong.
An image of a nasal spray. Naloxone, or Nyxoid spray, could help people affected by a protonitazene overdose. (ABC News) "If you have any form of adverse reaction — be it drowsiness — if you notice that happening to friends, call triple-0 and just tell them this is what you suspect," she said.
"Don't hide the story away, rather let them know what you think it is."
Dr Caldicott said administering naloxone at this stage could help the affected person breath again within minutes.
However, SA Health said people should not expect the medication will "remove the risk of death" associated with the drug.
Where did the drug come from and how prevalent is it in Australia? While it's unclear where exactly the drug has come from, authorities said it has been detected in the US, Canada and other states and territories across Australia.
In May, Queensland health officials said tablets, some which appeared as genuine medications, were found to have contained protonitazene.
Victorian health authorities raised the alarm in June 2022 when a yellow powder containing the drug was sold as ketamine in Melbourne.
"We're probably seeing it late in the picture … generally across Australia," SA Police Superintendent William Thompson said.
"People will generally import this product in small batches using various postal systems so it gives us great concern to see it here because of the level of harm it can do to people who take it," he said.
Jyst cut it with some fentynel (sp) it’ll all be okay. 😳
China
Covid-19 shots were also linked to deaths but the Australian authorities ignored and minimized those, and mandated the shots.
First offense
Mandatory...no leeway for the judge or jury.
It works in Singapore (and elsewhere)...it would work here.
C’mon...our good friends in the People’s Republic of China would never do that. I say it’s Norway.
I think I just found my new porn name.
P
Cover for covid injection deaths ?
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