In the last week, two people in NSW have been hospitalized and one person has passed away from a heroin overdose after taking a substance they believed to be cocaine.
Health officials have issued a warning that the drug is presently on the loose in Sydney and that anyone using drugs recreationally would want to think about carrying Naloxone.
Dr. Darren Roberts, medical director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre, stated that snorting just one line of heroin could swiftly lead to an overdose.
“It’s important that people recognise the signs of an opioid overdose early and know how to respond,” he stated.
“Opioids, like heroin, have potentially fatal effects like as pin-point pupils, sleepiness, unconsciousness, decreased respiration, snoring, and blue or grey skin.
“One of the dangers of illicit drug supply is the strength and contents of the substance you are getting is unknown and can be inconsistent.”
One crucial drug that can save lives and counteract the effects of opioids is naloxone. For anyone in NSW who is at risk of an opioid overdose, it is free and does not require a prescription.
Some pharmacies and other health providers offer it as an injection or nasal spray. NSW Health issued a warning earlier this month stating that high-dose MDMA pills with dosages “up to twice the average” have been found in circulation in New South Wales.
It was announced to the public that three different kinds of high-dose MDMA tablets had been discovered recently in the state, and that other MDMA pills that were sampled had been found to contain cathinone stimulants as well as “ketamine and ketamine-analogues” among other narcotics.
