Delaware fentanyl-related overdoses triple in 2016
More than one-third of Delaware's 308 fatal overdoses in 2016 can be attributed to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic painkiller that has tripled the number of overdoses related to this drug over the previous year, according to state officials.
Delaware reported 120 fentanyl-related deaths in 2016, a 186 percent increase from the year before, according to the state Division of Forensic Science and the Department of Health and Social Services. The drug – which can be passed off as heroin because of its white powdery appearance but is considered 50 times more powerful – has ravaged the state and the nation, prompting warnings from officials and health concerns for treatment providers.
“Even one use of an illicit drug can be lead to overdose and death, but the added presence of fentanyl dramatically increases those risks," DHSS Secretary Kara Odom Walker said in a statement Tuesday. "We hope that those affected will talk with a provider to help individuals get connected to treatment for this disease.”
Initially, fentanyl was used to lace other drugs and provide a better high to those using heroin and other substances, but today, Drug Enforcement Administration officials say they see the drug in other forms. In some cases, drug dealers are passing off fentanyl as heroin because of its similar appearance, while others are mixing it with heroin or cocaine and selling it.
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In some cases, the drug is even being pressed into pill form and sold as OxyContin, according to the DEA.
In 2015, 228 people died from fatal overdoses across the state — a 7 percent increase from the year before. With the addition of fentanyl, however, overdose deaths continue to increase at a rapid rate. Before the end of 2015, state officials warned of rising numbers in 2016. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saw a 72 percent increase in death rates from synthetic opioids, including fentanyl.
Of Delaware's fentanyl-related overdoses in 2016, 51 were found to be solely that drug, whereas cocaine was found in 48 cases and heroin in 37. Another 16 cases included both heroin and cocaine, according to the state.
More than 50 percent of these overdoses – which mainly include men in their late 30s – occurred in New Castle County, with about 30 percent in Sussex County and 13 percent in Kent County, according to the Division of Forensic Science.
Because these drugs affect the central nervous system and brain, those using it often have trouble breathing or stop completely, prompting an overdose. Many agencies, including police and paramedics, carry the overdose-reversing medication naloxone to help revive those experiencing overdose.
Emergency responders administered naloxone 2,334 times last year, according to the state. In cases involving fentanyl, more than one dose of naloxone can be necessary to revive an overdoses individual.
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Organizations like atTAcK addiction, a grassroots nonprofit founded by parents of addicted children, have fought to get naloxone into the hands of more police officers and emergency responders throughout the state. Nearly half of all police agencies in Delaware now carry the medication, with most of the large agencies in the state running a pilot program or carrying it full-time, said Dave Humes, a board member with atTAcK addiction.
"We must find a better way to inform those people still in active use of the dangers that fentanyl poses not only to their health," Humes said, "but also to their life – and the impact their substance use disorder has on their loved ones.”
The nonprofit is also working to get a standing prescription at pharmacies throughout Delaware that would allow citizens to purchase the medication after undergoing a brief training. Standing orders like these are already in places like Baltimore.
However, a recent price hike in Evzio – which contains naloxone and is used to combat opioid overdoses – drew the attention of 31 U.S. senators last week after the cost for the overdose antidote surged more than 600 percent.
The price jumped from $690 in 2014 to $4,500 now, prompting a letter from outraged U.S. senators to Kaléo Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Evzio.
Humes said atTAcK addiction hopes to see expansion and approval of newer manufacturers that would carry this medication to help combat price hikes. This would also make it easier for local police agencies to afford the drug used to save lives.
Those in need of help should seek out programs and people willing to help, Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Robert Coupe said in a statement. The New Castle County Police Department and the Dover Police Department both operate programs aimed at providing those in need of treatment with immediate assistance rather than incarceration.
“Too many times, our police officers and other first responders see firsthand the dangers of fentanyl-related overdoses,” Coupe said. “That’s why we encourage anyone who is using or suffering from addiction to call for help or to ask a police officer, a medical professional or another first responder for help. Our first priority is to save lives.”
Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.
How to get help
New Castle County: (800) 652-2929
Kent and Sussex counties: (800) 345-6785
Online: HelpisHereDE.com
EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier versions of this story had an incorrect year for when 228 people died from fatal overdoses in Delaware.