Paramedic Scott Duffy says he has attended a number of incidents where people have nearly died due to an overdose caused by the abuse of a prescription drug.
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The drug is called fentanyl and is a synthetic opioid which is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent.
“If we hadn’t been called, it was just a matter of minutes and the person would have been dead,” Mr Duffy said.
The drug impacts the breathing centre in the brain.
“Which is why people die because they get the high but then it goes too far and they stop breathing, that’s it,” Mr Duffy said.
Paramedics can give a drug which reverses the effect of fentanyl.
“If they didn’t get that the patients would have died for sure,” he said.
People who are prescribed the drug would use it for pain however there are people who will use it to obtain a high.
“The danger with that is because it is an opioid drug people can overdose very easily on it,” Mr Duffy said.
There have been times where Mr Duffy has attended three incidents in a week involving the drug.
Mr Duffy said as the drug is an opioid people do become addicted to the drug.
“They may try it and then they need it,” he said.
Mr Duffy said the fentanyl patch issue has impacted Port Macquarie for over five years.
He said as the drug is so strong and potent there are a lot of people who require medical assistance.
