Hamilton doctors raise alarm about overdose risks from fentanyl mixed with anxiety meds
Doctors say troubling local overdose symptoms reflect a dangerous lab-confirmed trend in Toronto of fentanyl laced with powerful sedatives.
The Spectator first reported in February 2020 on complaints about powerful opioids thought to be mixed with benzodiazepines, a group of sedatives used as anxiety medication and marketed under names like Valium or Xanax.
The problem definitely seems to be worsening here," said Hamilton Dr. Robin Lennox, who specializes in addictions medicine. From what I'm hearing from my patients, they are really finding it difficult to find any (drug) supply right now that is not contaminated with benzos."
Inner city doctor Jill Wiwcharuk also confirmed the potent drug mixture is a problem for her clients.
Fentanyl and its opioid cousins are driving Hamilton's overdose crisis, which contributed to 124 resident deaths in 2018 and 104 in 2019. So far this year, paramedics have responded to 170 suspected overdoses and more than 1,000 doses of anti-overdose treatment naloxone have been distributed by public health and its partners.
But some people who have used the benzo-contaminated fentanyl report that it does not respond as well to naloxone. The double-whammy of combined sedative drugs also raises the risk that someone using the cocktail will stop breathing.
Online, Lennox raised the alarm this week that a recent spate of complex overdose" cases locally are consistent with a Toronto spike in opioids found to be mixed with benzos.
In Toronto, the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation co-ordinates a federally funded drug-checking" harm reduction program that helps drug users protect themselves by submitting samples for free, anonymous lab testing. The latest two-week testing period in March showed 78 per cent of fentanyl samples contained benzodiazepines.
Lennox said more of her patients are reporting prolonged sedation," blackouts and difficulty recalling events leading up to overdose. In hospital, she said the sedatives are also showing up more in urine samples of drug users who never intended to use benzos."
Prior to the pandemic, city public health officials said they did not hear from clients about benzo-fentanyl scares.
That has since changed, said Michelle Baird, a public health director with the city. We are hearing that multiple clients are expressing concerns about benzodiazepines," said Baird, who added such reports have become more common in recent weeks.
In the past, the public health department has issued public alerts about dangerous drug trends like purple heroin," a dangerous mix with fentanyl or carfentanil.
No alert specific to benzodiazepines has gone out, said Baird, but in December public health warned residents about a stronger" fentanyl version linked to increased overdoses that are difficult to reverse."
When residents report using stronger" drugs, sometimes that means a bad combination of substances," she said.
Lennox said she would love to see drug-checking programs expanded to places like Hamilton to help protect vulnerable residents struggling with addiction. So far, Health Canada is only funding pilot programs in Toronto and parts of British Columbia.
The doctor said the latest dangerous twist in Hamilton's ongoing opioid epidemic also reinforces the need for sensible drug policies."
She said that includes renewed conversations around drug decriminalization and safe supply" programs that offer options other than unregulated and often deadly opioids like fentanyl.
Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com