Overdose Awareness
Two people have died and another two have been admitted to hospital with heroin overdose after using what they believed to be cocaine in Sydney. Heroin and other opioids may be sold as or found in various drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA. Small amounts of opioids can cause life-threatening overdose in people who have never or rarely use opioids including for people who use other illicit drugs. You cannot always tell the difference between heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine by appearance. Other dangerous substances increasingly detected in illicit drugs are nitazenes, which can be up to 500 times more potent than heroin, varying widely.
In 2024 there have been more drug warning alerts than in any previous year. We need access to pill testing but until then, it’s important not to take recreational drugs alone and to always have naloxone on hand.
Naloxone is a life saving drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Naloxone works by stopping the central nervous system from slowing down and gives a person experiencing an overdose the ability to breathe normally. Naloxone should be kept close by if you use illicit drugs, are on high doses of opioid pain medication, or have a family friend or loved who takes opioids or uses illicit drugs.
Under the national Take Home Naloxone program, naloxone is available free of charge without a prescription at participating pharmacies > HERE. Using naloxone > HERE.
I encourage people to check the public drug warnings regularly > HERE.