LAST WEEK SAW a marked increase in the number of drug overdoses in Dublin.
To date more than 50 people who overdosed on what was believed to be a potent batch of heroin.
The HSE later confirmed trace amounts of a nitazene-type substance were found in a drug associated with one of the overdoses.
This is a dangerous synthetic opioid, cheaper and more potent than heroin, and it carries an increased risk of overdose, hospitalisation and death.
This week on The Explainer, we’re joined by Dr Austin O Carroll, a GP in Dublin who specialises in addiction services and founder of Safetynet, to look closer at what happened and find out more about these synthetic opioids.
He shares how some of the overdoses happened in his clinic, and the action staff took to quickly reverse the effects of the drugs.
We also examine where all of this fits into the concerns around fentanyl – another synthetic opioid causing untold damage in the US – and the possibility of its arrival in Ireland.
The Explainer / SoundCloud
This episode was put together by presenter Laura Byrne, senior producer Nicky Ryan and executive producer Sinéad O’Carroll.
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