More people overdose from potent opioids circulating in the Sydney community

Potent synthetic opioids are circulating in the community, prompting authorities to issue a health warning after more people overdosed.

Severe opioid overdoses have seen more people hospitalised in recent weeks. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Severe opioid overdoses have seen more people hospitalised in recent weeks after they used a stronger nitazene than they thought they were using.

NSW Health has warned people about the dangers of nitazene after four people in Sydney overdosed and were hospitalised from using the drug.

One of the people who overdosed thought they had used a different drug, but it was nitazene.

Last month, NSW Health issued a similar warning after about 20 people overdosed in the Nepean Blue Mountains area, where nitazenes were found in people who thought they were using heroin.

More overdoses have been reported in Sydney after people used strong potent nitazenes. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty

Nitazenes have also been detected in vapes and in counterfeit tablets, such as benzodiazepines, and in drugs thought to be heroin or MDMA.

They are extremely potent synthetic opioids which are more likely to decrease or stop breathing than other opioids.

NSW Health chief addiction medicine specialist Kate Conigrave said these drugs were extremely dangerous, as they could be hundreds of times more potent than heroin and could cause an overdose or death.

“Nitazenes are extremely potent and can vary widely in their strength,” she said.

Authorities have advised drug users to carry naloxone after people overdosed and believed they had used a different drug, but had used a potent nitazene. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“As they are illicit and unregulated, there is no way of knowing what type of nitazene is present or what dosage is being taken.

“The strength and contents can vary widely, even within the same batch.

“So it is extremely important that people recognise the signs of an opioid overdose.

“Opioids can cause pinpoint pupils, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, slowed breathing/snoring and skin turning blue/grey, and can be life-threatening.”

Dr Conigrave said anyone who used illicit drugs should carry naloxone, which could temporarily reverse an opioid overdose.