In June 2024 in Melbourne, a tragedy occurred. Four friends took what they thought was cocaine, but it turned out to be protonitazene, a highly toxic synthetic drug. None survived, and the youngest was just 17 years old.
Nitazenes are synthetic opioids that are extremely potent. They were developed as a pharmaceutical pain killer but never approved. They are being found in common street drugs, vapes and counterfeit painkillers. They can be 500 times stronger than heroin and 10 times stronger than fentanyl. Due to their strength, they can cause respiratory depression within minutes and can cause paralysis, seizures and death.
This creates a barrier to safe drug use because nitazenes are present in drugs that people are not expecting them to be, for example, cocaine.
This highlights a need for caution.
Ways to stay safe:
Test strips are available to detect nitazenes, but they are expensive and not readily available.
There are several other ways you can protect yourself.
Use a staggered approach for yourself – take a small amount to start with in case there are any side effects.
Stagger the hits between people you are sharing with – someone can administer naloxone if needed, and seek medical help.
Always have naloxone with you, just in case.
Injectable naloxone:
Last year in Tasmania, a new version of naloxone became available in Tasmania. Prenoxad is effective on all opioids – such as morphine, heroin, synthetic and pharmaceutical medications. Instead of a nasal spray, it comes in a needle and syringe that is injected into a muscle. It contains five doses of naloxone instead of two. This can make a huge difference in the case of stronger drugs such as nitazenes, where two doses of the nasal spray may not be enough to keep someone alive until help arrives.
Both Naloxone and Prenoxad are available from your local NSP or pharmacy.
It’s a good idea to have these on you in case of emergencies, as you may be able to save someone’s life.
More information here: http://aivl.org.au/
