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Kelowna  

Drugs: just don't do it

The Okanagan continues to see a spike in overdose deaths.

There have been 50 OD deaths in the first four months of 2017 in the valley.

“The number of deaths from drug overdoses continues to increase locally and across the province,” says Dr. Silvina Mema, medical health officer with Interior Health. “The Okanagan is one of the areas experiencing the largest impact, with a greater than 50 per cent increase in illicit drug overdose death rates compared to 2016."

The biggest challenges in IH's response are stigma and reaching drug users who are not street-involved, said Mema.

"There is a big misperception out there that this overdose crisis is only affecting people who use heroin and are street involved, and that is simply not the case."

Heroin remains most associated with overdoses, but ODs are also being reported among users of other drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine.

“We are urging everyone who uses illegal drugs to avoid using, if at all possible, or to take precautions to prevent overdose,” she said.

IH offers drug users the following recommendations:

  • Don’t take drugs when you are alone. Leave door unlocked.
  • Keep an eye out for your friends – stay together and look out for each other.
  • Carry a Naloxone kit and know how to use it.
  • Don’t mix different drugs
  • Use less and pace yourself.
  • Recognize the signs of an OD:  Slow or no breathing, gurgling or gasping, lips/fingertips turning blue, difficult to rouse, non-responsive.
  • If someone thinks they may be having an overdose or is witnessing an overdose, follow the SAVE ME steps and call 911 immediately, do not delay.
  • Use the services available at the overdose prevention site in Kelowna.
  • Contact your local Mental  Health and Substance Use Centre for information on substance use treatment.


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