Fayette County health officials are working to find ways to address a spike in non-fatal drug overdoses in Lexington. Over a three-day period last week, 24 such overdoses were reported. Health Department Harm Reduction Team Leader John Moses said typically there might be 10 to 17 non-fatal overdoses in an entire week.
“We never know exactly what’s causing it or where it’s going because it’s constantly changing. But, it is my fear this trend is going to continue,” said Moses.
Moses said the reality is a fatal overdose offers more answers with a toxicology report. Moses noted the mixing of a horse tranquilizer along with fentanyl is a major issue in overdoses. He added getting more naloxone out to reverse the effects of an overdose is always key. Moses said there’s a new effort to identify drugs of choice.
“We are currently in the mix of putting together a research project that may help us identify what drugs are on the street within a week of testing residue,” said Moses.
In addition to more widely distributing the over-dose reversing drug Narcan, Moses said other suggestions are to not use alone, have someone nearby not using the same drug, don’t use drugs on top of other drugs. Moses said the overarching aim is to get at the root causes of drug use which can include poverty and domestic violence.
Here's more with John Moses with the Fayette County Health Department:
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