Добро пожаловать, Брокеры!

Today is National Fentanyl Awareness Day. This is a day to understand and protect our communities from the deadly threat of illegal fentanyl and counterfeit prescription pills. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is stronger than morphine and heroin. It is used to medically manage severe pain, often after surgery or for some cancer patients. Illegal fentanyl causes overdose deaths. It is often mixed with other drugs, making them more potent and dangerous. It’s important to know how to prevent an overdose, recognize signs of an overdose, and what life-saving measures are available.

What are the signs of an overdose?

• Loss of consciousness
• Change in size of pupils or pinpoint pupils
• Being unresponsive
• Irregular breathing or respiratory failure
• Blue discoloration of the skin
• Inability to speak
• Coma

How can you prevent or lower the risk of an overdose?

• Avoid mixing substances. Mixing multiple substances can cause harm and potentially death.
• Know what to do in an emergency.
• Use harm reduction strategies:
  • Fentanyl Test Strips are low-cost harm reduction tools that can be used to prevent overdoses. They are small paper strips that can find fentanyl in different kinds of drugs and various drug forms.
  • Carry Naloxone
• Medication Assisted Treatments: Recovery from substance use disorder is possible with the use of medication assisted treatments.

What is Naloxone (Narcan)?

Naloxone (also referred to as Narcan) is a safe medication. It can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It can restore normal breathing in 2 to 3 minutes. Naloxone only works in the body for 30 to 90 minutes. You can still experience the effects of an overdose after naloxone wears off or you might need multiple doses.

• Accessibility: Naloxone is available in easy-to-use forms, such as nasal sprays and injectable solutions.
• Safety: Naloxone is safe to use and has no harmful effects if administered to someone who is not experiencing an opioid overdose.
• Public Health Impact: Increased availability and access to naloxone can reduce opioid overdose deaths and promote public health.

Resources:

National Fentanyl Awareness Day

Naloxone Toolkit – CDC Naloxone Toolkit

NYC Health: Naloxone – Where to find Naloxone in NYC

OASAS Community Overdose Prevention Education – Reducing risk of overdose and where to find harm reduction supplies