The Health Service Executive (HSE) has issued a stern warning to drug users to refrain from taking benzodiazepine tablets, following an alarming increase in cases of overdoses predominantly in Dublin, Galway, and the midwest.
Lab analysis conducted by the Emerging Trends Laboratory within the HSE National Drug Treatment Centre has confirmed the presence of nitazene, a powerfully dangerous synthetic opioid, in the dissident yellow, round benzodiazepine tablets connected to these overdoses.
The HSE has expressed serious concern over the escalating incidence of overdoses and the associated health threats posed by nitazene. As a response, they have partnered with hospital A&Es, emergency services, NGOs, local law enforcement authorities, and laboratories at the National Drug Treatment Centre and Forensic Science Ireland to keep a close watch over the situation.
The body is in the process of further analysis to determine the precise makeup of the substance. However, considering the unknown hazards associated with these tablets and the exploration of new drug types and sources, users have been urged to steer away entirely.
Vigilance has been emphasised when noticing signs of overdose, and immediate medical attention has been promoted. Those that discover someone in this state are advised to stay with them until medical help arrives.
More advice given includes obtaining naloxone which can temporarily reverse opiate effects, from either a local service or their GP.
“We are calling for utmost caution as we have seen a series of overdoses linked to fake benzodiazepine tablets. Our initial analysis hints at the presence of nitazenes, an exceedingly dangerous synthetic opioid. This poses a considerable risk of overdose, hospitalisation, and even death,” warned Professor Eamon Keenan, HSE national clinical lead for addiction services.
The HSE National Social Inclusion Office was alerted last November of worrying overdose incidents taking place in homeless environments in the heart of Dublin. A particularly distressing period was between the 9th and the 12th of November where there were reports of 57 non-fatal overdoses.