Education, action key in fentanyl fight

by Kathy Hayes

《澳门银河线上博彩》上的一项研究在全国范围内敲响了警钟:青少年过量死亡与芬太尼有关, a powerful synthetic opioid, rose from 253 in 2019 to 884 in 2021. 事实上，2021年，芬太尼在所有青少年过量死亡中占77%.

Fentanyl’s presence in our community is equally concerning. “在2019年之前，我们从街上买的芬太尼药片太少了，甚至都不是我们追踪的数字. 现在我们在每次长期调查中都要服用数千颗药丸,” says Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Ian Stewart, commander of the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force.

Fentanyl is also being added to other substances, 青少年吸毒时往往不知道自己在吸食什么, explains Rachel Olsen, with the Alliance for Suicide Prevention in Larimer County.

“科罗拉多州的许多青少年过量服用芬太尼的情况发生在青少年使用另一种含有芬太尼的药物时. In many circumstances, it was their first time trying a substance.”

What is fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a cheap, 合成阿片类药物，比吗啡强80-100倍，比海洛因强50倍. 医生给患有严重或慢性疼痛的病人开处方芬太尼.

Available in many different forms—including pill, 粉, 液体, dermal patches, and lollipops, 例如，芬太尼经常与其他街头毒品混合，以生产更便宜的物质. As a result, people may ingest fentanyl unknowingly.

Fentanyl can be found mixed with many substances including cocaine, 海洛因, 冰毒, 莫莉, 狂喜, and other recreational drugs. 也, 假冒的阿片类药物看起来就像维柯丁这样的处方药, 奥施康定, and hydrocodone.

而经常使用阿片类药物的人服用过量的风险最高, 服用任何形式的芬太尼都有过量服用的危险. Because fentanyl is strong and often hidden in other substances, accidental overdose can occur quickly and unexpectedly.

Considering the ease with which 青年 can access fentanyl, it’s no wonder that parents, in particular, are concerned.

Instead of focusing on fear, 我们需要与青少年就吸毒的风险进行开诚布公的对话, 来自SAFE项目(阻止成瘾死亡流行病)的迪伦·邓恩说道, an organization founded by retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Winnefeld and his wife Mary, 他们19岁的儿子意外服用过量阿片类药物.

Dunn joins Olsen and José Esquibel, 科罗拉多预防处方药滥用协会副主任, in pointing parents, 老师, 青年, and other community members to evidence-based practices, 以及促进更好地理解和解决科罗拉多州北部青少年芬太尼危机的资源.

“We have the solutions to these problems,” says Dunn. “我们最大的财富将是父母和老师愿意与我们的青少年就吸毒和如何挽救生命进行公开和诚实的对话, and being well-informed themselves.”

Start the conversation

一个可以挽救生命的重要预防策略是与青少年谈论芬太尼及其在拉里默县的流行情况.

“成年人可以通过向青少年提供事实信息来帮助他们度过青春期, not scare tactics, so they can make smart decisions,” says Esquibel.

大多数开始滥用处方药的青少年都是在自己家里开始的, thinking that if a drug is prescribed by a doctor, it must be relatively safe.

“分享关于滥用处方药的意外后果的真实信息(特别是如果这不是你的处方，你不能确定它从哪里来的)，以及如果他们看到有人遇到麻烦，如何帮助他们。,” Dunn advises. 研究表明，那些从父母那里了解到毒品风险的孩子，与那些没有与父母交谈过的年轻人相比，他们尝试吸毒的可能性是前者的一半.

Fentanyl test

低成本芬太尼试纸可以帮助人们在药物安全方面做出明智的决定. The test strips can detect minuscule amounts of fentanyl in pills, 粉末, or injectables, 并且可以挽救第一次尝试的青少年的生命，或者是使用新来源的首选物质的人的生命.

Have naloxone/Narcan on hand and know how to use it

芬太尼过量是可以预防的，纳洛酮/纳洛酮可以挽救生命. Naloxone/Narcan, free to anyone who wants it in Colorado, is a medicine that can reverse the vast majority of overdoses. “If parents have any concerns that their kid is experimenting, they should have Narcan on hand and then get kids into treatment, so they’ll get the help they need,” says Esquibel. Ask your doctor for a prescription and fill it at a local pharmacy.

Get mental health support

“青少年芬太尼的使用与我们的社区越来越需要为青少年提供更多的社会情感资源有关,奥尔森说。. 青少年对他们所经历的心理健康问题越来越坦诚, but they need more coping skills, timely access to resources, a sense of belonging in our community, and trusted adults they can rely on.

Waitlists to see a therapist or psychiatrist can be weeks long, 而且也不能保证保险公司会接受年轻人的保险, 奥尔森说. 她建议家长们寻求有助于减少这些障碍的社区项目.