A new kind of overdose is showing up among Vancouver drug users and it's challenging front-line overdose prevention workers trying to save lives. The head of Vancouver Coastal Health's addiction program says he's seen the phenomenon in the emergency room at St. Paul's Hospital, and front-line overdose prevention workers notice the same problem at overdose prevention sites. When they try to revive somebody who is overdosing, health workers use naloxone, a drug that counteracts opioids. Sarah Blyth of the Overdose Prevention Society says it's jarring to see. Ahamad says the drug that's causing this is similar to medications used for anxiety, sleep disorders and depression, and it's showing up in urine drug screens.

Source: CBC News April 12, 2019 21:33 UTC