The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dundee suffering from worst overdose death toll as 12 die in a month
The fentanyl warning came as it was revealed Dundee is staring down the barrel of its worst drugs death toll in years.
Twelve people died through drug use last month alone.
Dave Barrie of Addaction said combinations of drugs being taken by addicts in Dundee are also posing a huge threat to users in the city.
He said “interactions” between three groups of drugs being used “day in and day out” by addicts such as methadone, valium and prescribed drugs including gabapentin or pregabalin could be behind many local drug deaths.
Mr Barrie added: “Although the fentanyl conversation is extremely important, people at home in Dundee and around the country need to be thinking about opiates like methadone – which is often prescribed as a substitute for heroin, street valium and drugs like gabapentin and pregabalin – which is prescribed.
“There is an interaction working with those drugs that for some reason they seem to be killing people a lot. I would urge people, yes, let’s keep our eyes wide open for fentanyl; but let’s really have a close look at what we are doing now and why we are losing so many young people.
“We’re losing 28-year-olds, 40-yearolds, 50-year-olds. Fifty-five is probably the oldest to pass away from an overdose in a long time.
“Young men and women in their thirties we are losing. If you are losing 40 or 50 or 60 people a year in a small town like Dundee, that’s a big problem and it is getting looked at seriously.”
He added: “The impact already of the amount of fatalities we’re seeing in Dundee is enormous. We are supporting families who have lost two children, three children through fatal overdose.”