Health department issues overdose alert

SANDUSKY — Fentanyl overdose rates may have declined a bit in Ohio and in the U.S., but they still remain a deadly threat. The Erie County Health Department said Monday that in the past three days, there had been a spike in suspected overdoses days, including six on Friday. "Please be aware of suspected fentanyl in substances such as pressed (counterfeit) pills, cocaine, meth and heroin. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is about 50 times more potent than heroin. Those who use stimulants have no tolerance to this powerful opioid and overdose is likely to occur," the health department explained in its overdose alert bulletin. While the only way to completely avoid the risk of overdoses is to stop using hard drugs — the health department has a detox center for people ready to begin recovery from addiction — health officials say anyone continuing to use narcotics should at least take precautions. One is to never use hard drugs when you are alone but to do so in the presence of other people, so that if you pass out, you can be revived before you die. Another important piece of advice is for your relatives and friends to stock up on Naloxone, sold under the trade name Narcan. It is a lifesaving drug which in many cases will revive a person who otherwise might die of a drug overdose. The Erie County Health Department continues to provide free Naloxone "for people at risk of overdose and those who love them," according to a website at narcanerieohio.com that provides more information on the program. Drug overdose deaths have been falling in the last couple of years, both in Ohio and across the U.S. For example, the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Feb. 25 that overdose deaths had fallen 24%. "Provisional data shows about 87,000 drug overdose deaths from October 2023 to September 2024, down from around 114,000 the previous year," the agency's news release said. But even 87,000 deaths show that an unacceptably large number of Americans are dying from drug overdoses, and fentanyl is a factor in many of those deaths. In one of his interviews with the Register, Pete Schade, Erie County's health commissioner, stressed the importance of trying to save addicts from death until they finally realize they can't continue with their lifestyle. Many people still don't realize how tough it is for many people to shed their substance abuse problems, Schade said. "Addiction is a nasty thing. We can judge them all day long, 'Why don't they just quit?'" Schade said. "When you're ready to talk, we're ready to listen."