COLUMBUS – Health officials in Columbus are warning that the synthetic opioid fentanyl is deadly, even when combined with drugs other than other opiates.
Columbus Public Health issued a community advisory Wednesday to notify the public of an increase in overdose deaths involving cocaine and fentanyl, a trend they say highlights the fact that fentanyl can be mixed with all recreational street drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
Public health officials advise drug users, those affected by substance use disorders and their family and friends to follow recommendations to reduce harm and death:
Get naloxone, a drug which reverses the effects of an overdose.
If you administer naloxone, call 9-1-1.
If you don’t have naloxone, administer CPR.
Be aware of the dangers of mixing drugs including stimulants.
Layering or stacking drugs will not prevent an overdose.
Do not use drugs alone.
Seek treatment or encourage your loved one to seek treatment.
-Source: Columbus Public Health
“If you are using any substance, you don’t really know what you’re getting. Fentanyl can be mixed with it – and it can kill you. If you are using any illicit substance, have naloxone on hand,” Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said.
According to death certificate data, the number of deaths that involved both cocaine and fentanyl has more than doubled from 41 in 2016 to 88 last year. Thirty percent of all overdose deaths of Franklin County residents had both cocaine and fentanyl in their system at the time of death, Roberts said.