Overdoses linked to laced pills spread in Bay Area
Contra Costa County health authorities warned residents Wednesday to not use any prescription-strength drugs that were not purchased directly from a pharmacist after learning of four overdoses likely caused by pills laced with fentanyl.
In the past month, at least nine people in the Bay Area are believed to have overdosed on counterfeit pills that contained fentanyl, an extremely potent pain reliever, according to public health reports.
The cases may be related to a surge in fentanyl overdoses in the Sacramento area — also linked to counterfeit pain pills — that has spread to the Bay Area.
[...] people who take Norco tablets that they believe to contain only the usual mix of drugs can easily, and quickly, overdose, health officials say.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week released a report detailing two Contra Costa County cases in which people showed up in an emergency room just half an hour after taking what they thought were Norco tablets, which they had purchased from a friend.
[...] lab analysis of the pill found fentanyl, acetaminophen, promethazine and trace amounts of cocaine.
Vo, who works at the San Francisco division of the California Poison Control System, became aware of the Bay Area overdoses in late March, after fielding calls from emergency room physicians.
Contra Costa County is sending out alerts to health care providers and schools warning people to avoid taking any prescription drugs purchased from friends or strangers.
Anyone who has already bought such drugs should call their local public health agency about proper disposal.