In some cases, drug users are intentionally taking the latter. Vancouver Coastal Health said its received numerous reports of overdoses caused by people who thought they were consuming opioids, but instead are ingesting illegaly manufactured flualprazolam and flubromazolam as well as benzodiazepine analogs such as etizolam. “We don’t know why that class of medication is creeping into the drug supply,” he said. Paul’s Hospital, told Black Press Media that the drug was first prominently found in Vancouver’s street drug supply in early April, and when mixed with illicit fentanyl creates a deadly cocktail that’s proved difficult to combat for frontline workers and emergency officials. Mark McLean, medical lead of the Rapid Access Addictions Clinic at St.

Overdoses caused by such drugs cannot be reversed by the naloxone, the antidote used widely to temporarily reverse opioid overdoses.ĭr. The class of medication, commonly called benzos, includes drugs like valium, ativan and clonazepam. Vancouver Coastal Health has issued a public alert after drugs on the Downtown Eastside tested positive for benzodiazepines, a tranquilizer-type drug creeping into the street supply and causing grave concern for health officials in B.C.Ī substance dubbed “green down” was found to have fentanyl and a kind of benzodiazepine in it at one of the overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption site on Wednesday, according to the latest alert sent by Vancouver Coastal Health.

Overdose lorazepam antidote