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Fentanyl crisis: Toronto addiction doctor takes your questions

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Fentanyl Crisis: Health professional takes questions from Canadians
Fentanyl has made its way onto Toronto streets and with a growing number of reported overdoses, Global News reporter Erica Vella took questions from viewers and brought them to Dr. Harry Vedelago, addiction physician at ACT clinics in Toronto and Hamilton for answers – Aug 14, 2017

Fentanyl has made its way onto Toronto streets and with a growing number of reported overdoses, Global News reporter Erica Vella took questions from viewers and posed them to Dr. Harry Vedelago, addiction physician at ACT clinics in Toronto and Hamilton, for some answers.

“What is fentanyl and what effects does it have on people?”
– Nico, Toronto

“Fentanyl is what we call a synthetic opiate. That means one that is manufactured. Its effect is far more powerful than the regular opiates,” Vedelago said. “Basically, it’s used for pain relief … however, if it’s used improperly it can cause overdose. It affects part of the brain that controls your respiration — your ability to breathe — and it depresses that to the point that you stop breathing and die.”

READ MORE: 5 drug overdoses in 2 days linked to bootleg fentanyl in South Eastern Ontario

“Where are people getting fentanyl from?”
– Francesca, Toronto

“They are buying it off the street, of course, and that’s how they are getting it,” Vedelago said. “There have been some situations where people who have come into the clinic … were totally surprised that there was fentanyl in [their drugs]. I’ve seen situations where the fentanyl has been pressed into pills that look like a Tylenol 3 or looks like an oxycodone and it’s not truly that medication, it’s actually fentanyl. You’re not looking at anything that is passing any quality regulations.”
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READ MORE: Fentanyl suspected after 3 fatal overdoses in Durham Region amid recent spike: police

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Why are people putting fentanyl in cocaine and other drugs?
– Drew Behm, Alberta

“[Fentanyl] is very cheap now because it’s imported mainly from Asia — China in particular,” Vedelago said. “It’s very potent. It does give quite a kick for its buck, and now it’s found almost everywhere.”

READ MORE: Fentanyl health effects: what happens during and after an overdose

If a drug is potentially laced with fentanyl, are there any early warning signs that you could be experiencing an overdose and are there any potential actions you can take to stop it before it gets worse?
– Josh, Toronto

“People who have taken [fentanyl] will feel a sense of euphoria but also a real sense of drowsiness [and] continuous decrease of consciousness,” said Vedelago. “You get this feeling that you’re slowly drifting off into sleep, and when you get that feeling, the important thing is to seek medical attention.”

Vedelago added users can also use the antidote medication naloxone to help slow down a potential overdose.

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“The naloxone kits are injectable blockers of opiates. They are very effective …but they are only a stop-gap measure — it buys you time to be able to call emergency and get medical attention.”

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