The growing threat from nitaszenes joins fentanyl in Canada's toxic drug lineup

The toxic drug crisis has cost more than 100 million people 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now an even more powerful class of synthetic drugs is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitasenes.

RCMP in Metro Vancouver, LabradorAnd Prince Edward Island seized nitasenes this year as part of drug busts.

Public health units in Ottawa and that of Quebec Eastern Municipalities marked them too.

Here you will find some answers to frequently asked questions about the class of substances.

What are nitazenes?

Nitazenes are powerful, synthetic opioids that have been linked to overdose deaths in many parts of the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Are they new?

No. Nitazenes were made as potential painkillers in the 1950s.

But they have never been approved for clinical use, such as in humans or animals medicinesThis is reported by the British Advisory Council on Drug Abuse.

Since 2019, nitazenes have emerged in the US recreational drug supply United States, Canada And European to land.

In a letter published by The Lancet Psychiatry In 2022, researchers from Vancouver and Basel, Switzerland, said ultrapotent synthetics such as nitaszenes are being rapidly produced in so-called homegrown laboratories, using legal and easily available ingredients known as precursors.

Why are they so powerful?

Nitazenes are often described as having multiple occurrences more powerful than fentanylalthough there is no official estimate. While the potency and appeal of the recreational drugs are similar, those of chemists are similar structures differ.

Scientists have relatively little information about how the human body responds to nitazenes because the chemicals have never undergone clinical trials that offer a chance to find out.

What are the possible disadvantages?

Nitazenes may increase the risk of accidental overdose, especially when combined with other substances that depress breathing and heart rate, such as other opioids or benzodiazepines, according to the 2022 warning from the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction said.

The potency means that symptoms can develop quickly before a person receives medical care. One type, isotonitazene, is involved 200 dead in Europe and North America. It was also the most frequently detected nitazene in Canada, a 2022 Health Canada report said.

The toxic effects of nitazene are similar to those of morphine and fentanyl, such as pinpoint pupils and slow or shallow breathing that can lead to death. People may also experience nausea and vomiting, be very pale, and have low blood pressure or a decreased heart rate.

Are there any ways to check this?

Not easy.

The Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction alert says that fentanyl test strips cannot detect nitasenes, and the detection of nitasenes through point-of-service drug screening requires sensitive equipment that is not always available.

Does naloxone work against this?

Naloxone is a drug that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, but it is not a cure, public health officials say.

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If anyone suspects or witnesses a person experiencing a drug overdose, call 911 and administer naloxone, even if the drug consumed is unknown. Being able to recognize the signs of an overdose quickly and having a naloxone kit can save a life, notes Ottawa Public Health (OPH).

Because nitazenes Estimated to be several times more toxic than fentanyl, Benjamin Leikin, community health and wellness manager at OPH, said the risk of overdose is higher. A person experiencing an overdose may need a larger dose of naloxone than the normal dose.

An Australia-based group notes that the effects of synthetic opioids tend to last longer than those of naloxone overdose may return after the naloxone wears off. Therefore, it is important to seek medical attention even if you have already administered naloxone.