Ten more overdoses at London's temporary overdose prevention site (TOPS) over the last week may be the result of a new, highly toxic form of opioid that has arrived in the city.
Since August 1, there have been 23 overdoses at the King St. site. In each case, staff at the facility were able to reverse the effects of the overdose using Naloxone and oxygen. Fentanyl was involved in all but one of the overdoses, staff reported.
The spike in overdoses over the past month is in stark contrast with the eight overdoses that occurred at the site in its first six months of operation.
“Over the last few weeks, we have observed a sustained increase in the number of opioid poisonings being seen in local emergency departments. When you combine that with the reports we’re receiving from TOPS, you can’t help but ask whether there is a new and highly dangerous variant of drugs in our community,” said Dr. Alex Summers, the associate medical officer of health at the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “These numbers are well above the averages we’ve observed since we’ve been monitoring overdoses and injuries related to this crisis.”
Last week the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection sent up its own red flag about the rising number of overdoses. The agency urged those who use drugs to ingest them slowly and in tiny doses, avoid mixing substances, carry a naloxone kit, not to use alone, and always tell someone where you will be.
Naloxone kits, which contain a drug that can reverse an opioid-related overdose, are available through the health unit, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, and pharmacies across Ontario.
Word of the increased overdoses came on International Overdose Awareness Day, a day meant to increase awareness about overdose, reduce stigma, and remember lives lost due to drug use.
According to figures from Health Canada, there were 3,987 apparent opioid-related deaths in the country last year, up from the 2,458 reported in 2016.
