Evansville Coroner Alerts Public: Drug More Potent Than Fentanyl Contributing to Overdose Deaths
The Vanderburgh County Coronor shared a startling update about a new drug that is said to be 100 times more potent than Fentanyl.
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Public Safety Alert
The Vanderburgh County Health Department took to Facebook to share an alert from Vanderburgh County Coroner, Steve Lockyear. The coroner says that a drug called Carfentanil is responsible for a recent influx in overdose deaths. This drug is over 1,000 times more potent than morphine, and 100 times more potent than fentanyl.
The post on Facebook from the Vanderburgh County Health Department reads:
CORONER’S OFFICE UPDATEThe Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office would like to alert the public of recent overdose deaths involving the drug Carfentanil. This drug can be 1000 times more potent than Morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. It does not give second chances. First Responders and local hospitals have also reported recent increases in overdoses and are very likely related to Carfentanil arriving in the community. If friends or family know someone who is using drugs please encourage them and support their effort to seek treatment.Steven W. LockyearVanderburgh County Coroner
Overdose Safety Measures
It is important to note that Carfentanil overdose can be treated with Naloxone (Narcan) like other opioid overdoses. IN.Gov has a safety sheet all about Carfentanil, which you can see here.
Naloxone is a treatment for opioid overdose. Immediately administering high doses of naloxone can reverse an overdose of carfentanil or fentanyl. In the case of the more potent opioids, many more doses of naloxone may be required to reverse an overdose. Responders should be prepared with additional doses of naloxone.
Photo by Daria Nepriakhina 🇺🇦 on Unsplash
If you or someone you love battles drug addiction, it's important to know that you are not alone and there is help. In Indiana, you can call the mental health and addiction hotline at 800-662-HELP (4357), or dial 211 for immediate help.
Another important item to note, the Evansville Recovery Alliance says that fentanyl test strips can also detect Carfentanil. The Evansville Recovery Alliance has access to free test strips as well as free Narcan, you can reach out to them for assistance.
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