Ohio’s overdose crisis has been strongly linked to the use of prescription painkillers or heroin, but that’s no longer the case. Health officials are now warning that historic levels of overdose deaths are being exacerbated by the availability of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, a potent and deadly synthetic drug.
Shabbir Imber Safdar, executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, said fake pills are being sold as prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, the anxiety drug Xanax and stimulant drugs.
“There are a lot of young people taking Adderall, and they’re not particularly careful where they get their pills,” Safdar pointed out. “I think we’re going to see an increase in deaths in the 16-24 age group from fake Adderall made with fentanyl.”
In May, two Ohio State University students died from alleged use of fake Adderall pills containing fentanyl. Ohio is expected to report more than 5,200 overdose deaths for 2021, up from just 327 in 1999.
Counterfeit drugs are usually sold on social media, on hidden dark web sites, or in person by someone pretending they are real. Safdar noted that about four in 10 fentanyl pills contain a potentially lethal dose.
“Even the first fake pill you take can kill you because if it has too much fentanyl in it, you don’t have time to get addicted, that first pill will kill you,” Safdar pointed out. “So it’s really a game of Russian roulette when you take one of these pills that doesn’t come from a pharmacy, which is the only safe source.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration recently issued a public safety alert regarding the increased lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl, and encourages people to use only prescription drugs as directed by a healthcare professional and issued by a licensed pharmacist.
get more stories like this via email
Online sales of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl are on the rise, and experts say social media apps like Snapchat and TikTok are behind the surge, including in Tennessee.
Shabbir Safdar, executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, said an alarming number of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl are being purchased online by teenagers and young adults.
“And in fact, in the past four years alone, we’ve tracked deaths in 19 different states of people who met a drug dealer on Snapchat and then bought a fake pill,” Safdar reported.
According to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, more than 2,000 Tennessees died of fentanyl-related drug overdoses in 2020, more than double the number in 2019.
Tennessee is one of several states that recently passed laws decriminalizing fentanyl test strips in an effort to reduce deaths. The tests work by dipping the strip in water containing dissolved medication.
Safdar noted that he thinks the strips should be legal, but pointed out that they don’t always detect fentanyl in large amounts.
“In fact, there’s a young guy in Tennessee that we’ve been describing for the past two years, who he and his friends all ordered Xanax from the dark web, and they each took a pill,” recounted Safdar. “It was only this young man’s that contained the fatal amount of fentanyl.”
Safdar pointed out that more Americans are turning to online pharmacies for acetaminophen, aspirin, blood thinners and other routine medications, but said there’s a risk in buying products from any source other than a licensed pharmacy.
“During the pandemic, as many as one in seven Americans went online to buy medication, and many of them went to these bogus Canadian pharmacy websites,” Safdar pointed out.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Pharmacies Association, there are more than 11,000 websites based in the United States and Canada calling themselves “pharmacies” and selling drugs online.
get more stories like this via email
Hundreds of Ohio teens are coming together today to bust the myths about teen substance use.
The “We Are The Majority” rally promotes the fact that most young people are drug and alcohol free.
For the past ten years, thousands of young Ohioans have gathered at the Statehouse for the rally, but it will be virtual for a third year due to COVID.
High school student Ally Sprow is a youth council member of the Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network. She said they will specifically discuss the impact of the pandemic on teenagers.
“We’re all really struggling trying to navigate every day,” Sprow said. “So we thought it was important to talk about how we can improve our mental health, but also to let teenagers know that they are not alone and that substance abuse is not the way to handle it.”
The theme is “The Teen Experience: Own Your Power”. Sprow said it’s a testament to the ability of young people to make the changes they want to see in their lives and in the lives of their peers.
The virtual gathering begins at 6 p.m. and will feature regional “watch parties” taking place at five locations.
The Prevention Action Alliance is hosting the rally, and the alliance’s community prevention manager, Julianna Fellows, explained that this is truly a youth event, organized by teenagers from across Ohio.
“The most important thing for them is the excitement of being able to share with their peers, but also with adults,” Fellows said. “To say, ‘It’s our time now, and we’re impacting our time right now. “”
Sprow added that young Ohioans will share what the teenage experience means to them, how adults can be better allies, and what they want the future to look like.
“Connecting with each other, as well as connecting with generations to come and generations to come, is really important,” Sprow said. “Because when we try to change the world, we have to do it together.”
About 8% of 12- to 17-year-olds in Ohio report having used drugs in the past month. Links to the rally and social media are online at ‘preventionactionalliance.org’
Disclosure: Prevention Action Alliance contributes to our fund for reporting on alcohol and drug abuse prevention, health issues and mental health. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
get more stories like this via email
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, highlighting the serious consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.
Excessive alcohol consumption contributes to more than 95,000 deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Scott Itano, a family physician at Kaiser Permanente Washington in Seattle, said the pandemic has exacerbated dangerous drinking habits.
“People had normal coping mechanisms such as travel, sports, seeing their friends,” Itano explained. “And when they were locked in their homes in quarantine, they really had less outlets and some of them turned to alcohol. And then that alcohol consumption skyrocketed, I saw at some of my patients, and turned into an alcohol use disorder.”
Alcohol use disorder is the medical term for alcohol dependence, which is considered a disease. Itano noted that it’s possible to have a healthy relationship with alcohol, but like with other things, the problem is using it in excess. He said the general rule is that men should limit themselves to two drinks a day and women to one a day.
Itano pointed out that alcohol use disorders have serious health consequences, including an increased risk of several types of cancers. He warned that drinking alcohol is sometimes seen as a method of self-treatment for underlying mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety.
“If you ever feel like you’re starting to go down that road where you’re drinking more alcohol than usual, or if you’re feeling more stressed, anxious, or depressed, and drinking at the same time, contact us early. , ” Itano recommended. “It’s our job here as primary care clinicians, and we’re comfortable with it and want to help.”
Given the frequency of the condition, Itano pointed out that most people know someone who has struggled with it or is still struggling. He suggested speaking to the person directly if you think there is a problem.
“I think the important thing is just to call them and have a face-to-face conversation, conveying your level of concern and that you care about them, and just what you’ve noticed and what you’re witnessed,” Itano said. “And then see what they say from there.”
Disclosure: The Kaiser Health Plan of Washington Project contributes to our fund for reports on alcohol and drug abuse prevention, health issues, hunger/diet/nutrition, and seniors’ issues . If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
get more stories like this via email
