Drug alert issued in Waterloo Region after 3 suspected fatal overdoses in 7 days

A drug alert has been issued by the Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy for the area after three people died over the past week from suspected drug-poisonings or overdoses.

The agency says that the drug checking program at the Kitchener CTS site has found some new mixtures in fentanyl.

It has found various new fentanyl analogues, bromazolam, xylazine, and medetomidine/dexmedetomidine while running detections on fentanyl samples.

The Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy, or WRIDS, notes that it has not connected the deaths with the substances identified.

“The unregulated drug supply is unpredictable and unexpected reactions may occur,” a release from WRIDS states. “Multiple doses of naloxone may be required.”

The number of overdose-related deaths in Waterloo Region has declined over the past couple of years after peaking at 110 in 2021, according to the WRIDS website.

There were 88 deaths the following year and 65 deaths in 2022. So far this year, 11 people have died of opioid overdoses although it is not noted if that includes the most recent deaths.

&copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.