Authorities are warning the public about fake pain pills laced with deadly Fentanyl after two local residents overdosed this week on the drug after thinking they took something else. One of the recent overdoses was fatal, according to authorities.
“It is believed Fentanyl has been laced on counterfeit prescription narcotics that are being sold on the street,” reads a press release from the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office.
The two recent overdose cases involved victims who took OxyCodone and Xanax pills that investigators believe had toxic doses of Fentanyl in them. On Oct. 21, paramedics revived an overdose victim by giving the patient numerous doses of Narcan, a drug that counteracts the effects of excessive opiate or opioid consumption.
On Oct. 22, medics were unable to revive a man who overdosed, authorities said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office has not released details about the location of the overdoses.
Investigations into the two overdoses are ongoing, according to police.
“Please talk to your family, loved ones and friends and ask them to NEVER take a pill given or sold to them that did not come from a controlled pharmacy with a legitimate prescription for them personally,” reads an Oct. 22 press release from the sheriff’s office.
Cases like these are increasing in California, according to authorities. Public safety officials in Santa Clara, Monterey and San Francisco counties have sent out similar alerts of counterfeit pain pills laced with Fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic pain medication that is 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, according to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. Exposure to small amounts of the drug can lead to overdose or death.
