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Drug Overdoses No Longer “Something to Sweep Under the Rug”

By Mallorie Rast

In Saskatoon during May, a record number of 262 calls were made to emergency services for overdoses or suspected overdoses. Six people died of drug overdoses in Regina over Canada Day weekend, and the number of drug overdose deaths continue to climb as Saskatchewan has already topped its 2018 record by the beginning of this month.

August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day, and the purpose of the day is to raise awareness to decrease the stigma surrounding drug-related deaths and to acknowledge the grief and/or trauma of families, friends and individuals who have been affected by drug overdoses.

The Canadian mental health association defines an overdose as “when someone takes one or more drugs in a quantity or combination that exceeds what their body can handle.”
Overdoses can occur with over-the-counter or prescribed medications, recreational drugs, and can involve many types such as opioid drugs, alcohol, and regular pain medication.

Mental Health and Addictions Counselors Emil Eyford and Gleetha Harjeet from the West Central Crisis and Family Support Center (WCC) noted that drug abuse and overdoses are subjects begging for notice, and it is past time for them to be brought out into the open. “These topics are often not talked about often enough,” Eyford noted, and Herjeet agreed. “Of all topics, these should not be swept under the rug and pretended that they are not happening in our province and communities,” she said.

The numbers in Saskatchewan are not looking good, with 40 deaths confirmed by the Saskatchewan Coroners Service from drug-overdoses and 139 from suspected drug toxicity from January 1 to August 6, the province has just surpassed the number of deaths recorded in 2018, 171. Many are contributing this alarming increase to the effects of COVID-19, and have coined this discovery the “pandemic within the pandemic.”

Herjeet and Eyford noted that the subject of drug use, abuse, and overdosing is not a comfortable subject for many and this reason alone contributes to the number of people dying alone and in silence. “It is very hard for people to reach out and ask for help,” Eyford says, noting that social stigma and a lack of knowledge of where to get help from are two reasons for this plight.

To help combat this, the staff at WCC implement important factors into their service of the west central area, including approachability, confidentiality, and serviceability. “When people come to our doors, we want them to know that we applaud the effort it took and the transparency they are willing to have in order to get this far,” says Herjeet. The WCC also now provides a program that focuses on mental health and addictions. The aim of this program is to provide a holistic, or whole life, approach to assisting people improve their mental health and to overcome the addictions that are holding them back from achieving their full potential.

In addition to knowing where to get help before the overdose takes place, it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of overdosing and be able to act quickly by calling 9-1-1 and/or by administering a Naloxone Kit.

The effects of the overdose are varied as drugs can have opposite effects, depending on their type. For example, drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, and MDMA (ecstasy) act as stimulators to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and can contribute to seizures, strokes and heart attacks. Opioid drugs have the opposite effect, impacting the nervous system to such an extent that automated functions, such as heart-rate and breathing, are slowed to the stopping point.

The symptoms of an opioid overdose are as follows:

  • Difficulty walking/talking/staying awake
  • Blue lips or nails
  • Very small eye pupils
  • Cold and clammy skin
  • Dizziness and confusion
  • Extreme drowsiness
  • Choking, gurgling or snoring sounds
  • Slow, weak or no breathing
  • Inability to wake up, even when shaken or shouted at

With the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act in place, anyone who calls 9-1-1 about a suspected overdose will not be charged with possession of illegal or controlled substances. If a number of the above symptoms are present, call 9-1-1 and then administer a Naloxone Kit if one is available to you. These pre-made kits are available free of charge to individuals who are at risk, and to individuals who are likely to witness an overdose. To get more information on these kits, contact the Kindersley and District Health Centre, located on 1003 1st Street West in Kindersley, by calling (306) 463-1000 ext. 2560 or 2562.

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