Drug cocktail causing series of overdoses

By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press WriterSat May 27, 1:33 PM ET

Larry, a 53-year-old heroin addict, has two cardinal rules: Never shoot up alone, and shoot up only one person at a time. If one overdoses, "you need someone there to bring you back," he said. Larry, who asked that his last name not be used because of his habit, recited his rules after hearing that a mixture of heroin and a powerful painkiller has been killing users who believe they are taking heroin alone.

Officials from Philadelphia to Chicago have reported deaths from the drug, called fentanyl and considered 80 times more powerful than morphine. In the Detroit area — the apparent hub of the problem with more than 100 confirmed cases since last fall and as many as 41 possible deaths in the past eight days — officials from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating and community organizations are scrambling to get the word out to users.

The CDC says it has no national statistics on fentanyl deaths. But individual reports from a scattering of states indicate the drug mixture is widespread.

Philadelphia has had 20 confirmed deaths from heroin mixed with fentanyl since April 17, and test results are pending in eight suspected cases, the city health department said.

In New Jersey, where officials first raised the alarm about the drug in April, there have been about 10 confirmed fentanyl deaths and 10 to 20 suspected cases since last month, according to the state's poison control center.

In Chicago, 30 people died from fentanyl or fentanyl-laced heroin from September 2005 to March 2006, said Christopher Hoyt, a spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in that city. In addition, 23 suspected cases were reported in April and May.

"This is a huge, huge problem," said Stephen Marcus, medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center.

In Wayne County, which includes Detroit, Medical Examiner Carl J. Schmidt said he began noticing a rise in fentanyl-related deaths in September. In total, medical examiners found 63 people who died in Wayne County with fentanyl in their blood last year. From the beginning of 2006 to mid-April, there were 70 such cases.

County officials did not begin treating fentanyl as a crisis until last week, when the number of overdoses began to soar.

"Sometimes divining what the role of fentanyl is in an individual's death is more an art than a science," Schmidt said, noting that drug users often have multiple substances in their blood.

Still, it was clear something was amiss when 12 people died of overdoses May 18-19, Schmidt said. In total, there have been 41 drug-related deaths since May 18, said Teresa Blossom, a spokeswoman for the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency. The county of 2 million typically sees two to three drug deaths a day.

The drug kills by inhibiting respiration, Schmidt said. "It literally suppresses your natural impulse to breathe," he said.

Before the recent surge, Wayne County saw 20 to 30 fentanyl deaths a year, Schmidt said. Those cases tended to be severely ill people with legitimate prescriptions who committed suicide or people who had stolen the drug, he said.

The fentanyl behind the current problem appears to be manufactured illegally and mixed with heroin long before it gets to the user, Schmidt said.

In one case, three people found dead in a car last month took fentanyl not with heroin but with cocaine. Schmidt said he fears that could indicate a new trend.

Organizations that run needle exchanges and other health programs for drug users are trying to spread the word. Officials emphasize there is help for people who have overdosed if they get to an emergency room immediately.

But to some drug users, the warnings are an advertisement.

"When they hear about people OD'ing somewhere, they want to go there" to get the more potent drugs, said Larry, the Detroit heroin user.

Like Larry, 37-year-old Latonja said she would do her best to stay away from the tainted heroin by sticking to dealers she knows. However, she acknowledged it may be difficult, because users can never know for sure what they're buying.

"We're not analyzers when we're trying to shoot our dope," said Latonja, of Detroit, who also asked that her last name not be used. "We're like, 'OK, it's time to get happy.'"

___

Associated Press writers Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia, Geoff Mulvihill in Mount Laurel, N.J., Michael Tarm in Chicago and Jim Irwin in Detroit contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/a...NlYwN0bWE-

I seem to be posting this lately but folks NEED to KNOW!!!!!



Heroin


HeroinE

^

omg you beat me to it.

But he said Bad Heroine

isnt that what's going on? Wonder Woman is on the loose?

Seriously though...ive always wondered when some nutcase was going to kill off folks by tainting our nation's supply of drugs...

not sure if thats whats going on here but i hope those with addition issues are aware of whats going on...now more then ever getting high is a matter of life or death.

PANDURITO said:

well, should i have said killer heroine on the loose?

How about a BAAAAD heroine?
[Edited 5/28/06 11:52am]

all heroin is bad heroin and it can kill you whether or not it's mixed with fentanyl. people need to leave that shit alone and as far as the ones who don;t or won't well, they deserve what they have coming to them. The USA isn't one of those countries where the drugs like this are controlled and people who want to go and be idiots can do it in a semi-safe way. you never know what you're shooting into your veins, whether it's ajax or fentanyl or powdered milk.

i'm sorry but drug addicts make me fucking sick.


they're a bunch of selfish assholes who don't value life.

JasmineFire said:

agreed.

not that i don't love the person they were before they became addicts or the people they can be after they kick the addiction, but when someone is an active addict they're a fucking MONSTER and i don't have a bit of empathy for them other than keeping them alive if they're someone i care about, and getting their nasty ass to some kind of rehab center.

Anx said:

thank you, my only child soul mate.

JasmineFire said:

self-medication is on the rise...i have a friend who had to endure the pain of seeing his lover slowely die of aids (in the mid 90's). right after he lost a close aunt and just lost it...he now lives in his room, rarely going out unless to seek a fix of meth.

does he value life? yup...is he selfish? nope...just in a lot of pain...

however, i have had to remove him from my life because his choice of lifestyle is not appropriate...i guess i just dont see what good it does me to pass judgement on his life choice...

now, if he stealing from people or hurting others i would sing a different tune...
[Edited 5/28/06 12:54pm]

sosgemini said:

It makes me sad when folks have no compassion for addicts and what got them into the situation in the first place...

CarrieMpls said:

Me too.

CarrieMpls said:

It made me sad when I at age 5 had to babysit my mom so she wouldn't shoot up in the bathroom. She had absolutely NO valid reason for going on H, she had a fucking child to take care of. That child was me, and I was made to take care of her. I'm sorry cos I know I'm harsh on this, but talk to me again about compassion for addicts cos I don't have any. Period.

Teacher said:

I'm sorry that all the pain in your life has caused you so much hate and anger.
It's sad to me, also, that no one stepped in to help you out of something a child should never have to endure.
I just think without ever getting to the root cause (and therefore prevention) of why folks become addicts to begin with, we'll never solve these problems. It's really easy to blame folks for it and I'm not saying anyone should get off scott-free. I just don't think it's ever a black and white issue. I have known many, many addicts in my life. My father included. And there was a time I blamed him for every last one of my problems. But he was (is) just another sad, lost soul trying to make his way in the world.

CarrieMpls said:

the reason why i don;t have any compassion for addicts and their situations that supposedly turned them into addicts is because there is no good reason to abuse drugs. none. we all have our problems and trials. i don't care what anyone's been through, there is always someone who has had it tons worse and never shot up, snorted, or abused the life that has been given to them.

sosgemini said:

sorry but if he valued life he wouldn't be spending it inside four walls abusing a drug that literally eats the brain of its users. he gave his life up by becoming a meth head.

i've very recently watched a loved one slowly and painfully die. believe me, there are ways to get through it that don;t involve tuning out the world around you. when someone dies, you're not the only one who is suffering, there are other people who have lost that person, too. to assume that your pain is greater than that of another is not just selfish but foolish.

so tell me every addicts sob story if you want but you will never convince me that abusing drugs is ever justified.

JasmineFire said:

im not trying to convince you of anything...im simply sharing my perspective on this issue.

and just like no one will ever convince you of believing otherwise, calling other people foolish and selfish will never get me to agree with your views.

Interesting reactions, my dears.

Mine:

Not everybody is equally strong. "I know somebody whose life was hell in this and that way and THEY didn't have to do drugs to get through it. . . " . . . well, bloody good for them.

But some people self-medicate. A lot of those people would kill themselves if they didn't. And hey, I'm not anti-suicide. But if a person is trying to kill pain in order to survive, well, fuck me if I judge them for it. Life is hard. Life HURTS.

It's equally wrong to fuck other people over whether you're an addict or not. Addiction isn't an excuse for stealing, or for not being a responsible caretaker. But do you really think that the type of person who turns to heroin was going to be a stellar citizen and parent if they didn't?

Perhaps if we gave people access to quality health care (including mental health care) and education, we'd have fewer people whose lives are so fucked up that they don't know what else to do with themselves.

JasmineFire said:

Y'all are only children, too?

HereToRockYourWorld said:

It's very easy to judge, but its usually not a good idea unless you've walked in someone else's shoes. Not all drug addicts are bad people.

NorthernLad said:

I've known some freakin' fantastic people who were addicted to one substance or another at some point in their lives. Common thread? Being very sensitive souls.

Not seeking help in a more responsible way is OBVIOUSLY a mistake. But, shit, I don't want to be given up on when I make mistakes. . .

We all have something we are addicted to...be it drugs...caffiene (sp?)...or whatever else. People have a tendency to do things to make them feel better...I smoke cause it keeps me unstressed...I drink cause I like to get drunk...I toke on this or that because I like the high. The way I see it...do what ya gotta do to get through life...its hard, its fucked up, it hurts but do yourself and keep it in moderation. Now there are people who have a problem with that and they are those people who have addictive personalities. They can not control it and keep it in moderation, so they abuse it. Fine, it is a problem for them, but lets not judge them, maybe we should try to help them. There is a reason behind their addiction, and the addiciton itself is a cry for help. Granted they have to admit they have a problem before they can be helped, but lets not throw them to the fuckin wolves and not give them what they need. Their life is just as precious as ours...they just don't know it.

notoriousj said:

Well put, though I think the idea that smoking keeps you unstressed is a bit of an illusion. I believe that's just the relief you get when you have a cigarette when you're feeling the need for nicotine. The cigarettes cause that stress and unease and then also relieve it. Granted, cigarettes aren't the sole cause of stress in this world since people have many things that cause them to worry, but cigarettes, in my experience, only really add to the stress. The relief gained from them is short-lived and only really exacerbates the problem. I still smoke though.

Fauxie said:

Ok so you said it better then I did...the smoking part anyway

notoriousj said:

You know it, we all do. We like to think it's enjoyment, but we know deep down it's really not. We suck, but there you go. I'm smoking right now as I type this. If I'd never smoked cigarettes or taken drugs I'd never be able to empathise with addicts. I wish I couldn't empathise with them, but I can.

Fauxie said:

Ohhh smoke break

I think that is what addicts need sometimes...more people to empathise with them then to hate and throw them out with the garbage.

notoriousj said:

I agree, now go 'head with your smoke break stinky breath.