Fentanyl blamed for accidental overdoses

CELINA - Local officials say accidental drug overdoses are claiming more lives across the state and locally due to the increased use of the powerful synthetic narcotic fentanyl.

"The fentanyl is most definitely an issue," Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon said. "Sometimes they use heroin, but it's cut with fentanyl."

Mercer County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Ingraham agreed.

"It's been a combination of people who tried it and those who didn't know they got it. It is being combined with heroin and other drugs," he said. "From the court's point of view, overdoses affect a lot of people."

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic narcotic that is estimated to be 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin, and up to 100 times more potent than morphine. The vast majority of law enforcement's reports of fentanyl in drug seizures result from illegally produced and trafficked fentanyl, not diverted prescription fentanyl.

The Ohio Department of Health released a report Thursday stating the number of fentanyl-related deaths in Ohio increased from 84 in 2013 to 503 in 2014 and 1,122 in 2015. Overall overdose deaths rose from 2,531 in 2014 to 3,050 in 2015.

"Ohio was one of the first states to see the rise of fentanyl over the past couple of years as the opiate epidemic continues to evolve to more powerful drugs," said Dr. Mark Hurst, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services medical director. "We knew when we started this battle five years ago that progress wouldn't be easy, but we are well prepared to stay on the leading edge of fighting this epidemic thanks to the multifaceted strategies we have put into place."

Local numbers are hard to verify, partly because the county health departments track only overdose deaths, not all overdoses. For example, in Mercer County three deaths were ruled as accidental multiple drug intoxications in 2014 and another three in 2015. No such causes are listed in Mercer County in 2016, but one cause of death is still pending.

"The number of overdose cases increased greatly about a year ago, then it leveled off," reported Jenny Conn, emergency services director at Mercer Health in Coldwater.

"There were 25 last year, and we're about on the same pace this year," reported Celina Fire Chief Doug Wolters.

"The past six to eight months, we've seen a lot of fentanyl," Mercer County Chief Probation Officer Mike Huber said.

Law enforcement officers report that some people trying to buy heroin end up with the drug mixed with the stronger fentanyl and some even get straight fentanyl, causing severe reactions.

Responders to overdose cases do not need to differentiate between those on pure heroin, those on pure fentanyl and those on a mix of the two. The treatment for all those types of overdoses is the same - the opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone.

Naloxone works in any case and is credited with preventing overdose deaths. Ohio has increased funding to purchase naloxone for first responders. In 2015, Ohio EMS personnel administered 19,782 doses of naloxone - 7,207 more doses than in 2013, though some patients may have received more than one dose.

A targeted ODH campaign has shown good results in cutting down on overdose deaths, ODH Medical Director Dr. Mary DiOrio said. She attributes the declining number of opiates dispensed to Ohio patients to efforts to reduce the prescription pill supply; increased law enforcement; empowering prescribers and pharmacists to use Ohio's prescription drug-monitoring system, the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System; and working with medical professionals to establish opioid prescribing guidelines for chronic and acute pain.

"The state has been very aggressive in implementing new strategies to strengthen Ohio's fight against opiates, but we are reminded today of the difficult road ahead as the epidemic evolves at a rapid pace," said Andrea Boxill, the coordinator of the Governor's Cabinet Opiate Action Team. "In the face of the continued rise in drug overdoses, we believe that Ohio has one of the most comprehensive approaches in the nation to combating opiate abuse and drug overdoses, and we will continue to evolve our efforts to address the changes that we are seeing in the drug market."