Preliminary evidence shows nearly 30 deaths linked to fentanyl in 2015

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This article was published 13/01/2016 (3305 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Local health officials, responding to a recent spike in deaths and close-calls due to the illegal use of fentanyl, will equip drug addicts with an antidote to the powerful opioid.

Health Minister Sharon Blady said Wednesday that 1,300 kits, at a cost of $35 each, will be distributed to users who inject the drug, beginning in Winnipeg.

The kits will contain naloxone — which can revive someone who has overdosed on any opioid — and instructions on how and when to administer the antidote. Also included will be syringes for injecting the antidote and a breathing mask for providing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

At a news conference Wednesday, Blady called fentanyl an “emerging” issue in Manitoba.

Preliminary figures provided Wednesday link the drug to 29 deaths in the province in 2015. Officials caution that the numbers are preliminary. Yet to be determined is whether the drug was the primary cause of death or simply in the person’s system when they died.

However, the information backs up anecdotal reports that suggest the fentanyl problem — described in crisis proportions in other parts of Canada — is becoming much more serious in Manitoba. In 2014, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported just seven deaths due to fentanyl in the province.

“Although Manitoba has not seen the dramatic rise in fentanyl-related deaths that other provinces are experiencing, we are seeing warning signs. And it is important that we act now,” Blady said.

The province will spend more than $500,000 initially on the kits and a public awareness campaign about the dangers of the illegal use of fentanyl, a powerful painkiller used to treat patients with chronic diseases or to manage pain after surgery.

A Free Press investigation in November revealed that the problem in Winnipeg is more severe than many thought, with methadone clinics besieged by fentanyl addicts looking to kick the habit. The drug is snorted, smoked or injected mainly by young people in their 20s and early 30s, and users hail from all parts of the city, including Lindenwoods, River Heights, Tuxedo and St. Vital.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service told the Free Press that in the first 10 months of last year it responded to 96 emergency calls involving fentanyl at which paramedics administered naloxone. In 41 of those cases immediate life-saving intervention was required because patients had stopped breathing or were in cardiac arrest.

A recovering addict which the Free Press did not name said she knows of five people, including a former boyfriend, who died of fentanyl overdoses. She said that twice she “flatlined” after taking the drug, which can slow a person’s breathing to the point where they fall into a coma and die. She was saved by paramedics both times.

“It’s way stronger than you think it is. It will kill you,” the recovering addict said.

Dr. Joss Reimer, medical officer of health with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, said the kits can and “will save lives” in Winnipeg.

They are being distributed by the WRHA through its Street Connections harm reduction program. Training will be provided to users, their families and friends on how and when to administer the antidote, which is injected into a muscle.

Dr. Ginette Poulin, medical director at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, welcomed the new initiative. Several other provinces, including Saskatchewan and Alberta, are also distributing naloxone to addicts.

“Certainly, from the AFM perspective, we’re quite pleased that the government is taking action on this issue. Certainly, it’s an important one to us,” said Poulin, who had a patient this past week who overdosed on fentanyl and had stopped breathing before being revived by paramedics.

Dr. Gerald Hoy, who operates OATS (Opiate Addiction Treatment Services) along with his physician brother Murray, agreed that the kits will save lives if used as directed.

But he was concerned that their availability will provide a “false sense of security” to addicts and family members.

“How often is the family around when the injector is abusing drugs?” Hoy said.

He believes what will make a real difference in combating the fentanyl scourge is a concerted effort by government and law enforcement is to crack down on dealers and distributors of the drug.

“Ultimately, the only thing that’s going to make a difference is stop (the) supply,” Hoy said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca