If you are somebody – or know somebody — who may be using opioids, please let them know the dangers of this drug. A Brookhaven woman died from a mixture of heroin and fentanyl known as ‘gray death,’ GBI officials said. An exact number of deaths from the drug is unknown, but a spokeswoman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported they’ve seen 50 overdose cases involving gray death over the past three months.
What is Gray Death?
People physically dependent on opioids require regular doses of the drug to avoid searing withdrawal symptoms. Along with the euphoria the drugs deliver to brain cells that quickly become habituated, this dependence partly explains why someone would snort or inject something that looks like concrete. If you’ve had your eye on health news, you’ve probably heard “fentanyl” mentioned more than once in the last year. Fentanyl is a powerful and potent opioid pain reliever first introduced into the medical pain-relief sector for treating cancer patients. The combo is just the latest in the trend of heroin mixed with other opioids, such as fentanyl, that has been around for a few years. Georgia’s investigation bureau has received 50 overdose cases in the past three months involving gray death, most from the Atlanta area, said spokeswoman Nelly Miles.
Fatal Overdose
While Perry had been receiving ketamine treatment every other day for some time, the medical examiner’s report noted that he had reduced his intake, and his last known infusion had been more than a week before his death. Detectable amounts of ketamine from those types of treatments normally disappear from a person’s system in three to four hours, the coroner said. Georgia’s investigation bureau has received 50 overdose cases in the past three months involving grey death, most from the Atlanta area, said spokeswoman Nelly Miles.
A potent new mix of drugs includes carfentanil, which is used to tranquilize elephants.
Gray death, sometimes also known as ‘Grey Death,’ can be gray or ashen in color and resemble concrete mixing powder. The best addiction treatment facilities for people who have an opioid use disorder provide a combination of medication-assisted treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy for a well-rounded approach to recovery. For more information on how to find a drug rehab center for your addiction issues, contact one of our treatment specialists today.
What Does Gray Death Look Like?
Gray death is a compound that typically contains several dangerous illicit opioids, including heroin, fentanyl and the designer drug U-47700, among other substances. Each batch of gray death can contain different substances in varying amounts. Some batches may contain a synthetic opioid known as carfentanil, which is used to sedate large animals. Grey death may be the descendant of gray alcohol withdrawal insomnia overcoming sleep problems pebble-like mixtures of heroin that law enforcement officials seized in San Diego, Chicago, and rural towns in Kentucky and Indiana in recent years. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations also reported on Thursday that a different synthetic opioid cocktail, made of U and furanyl fentanyl (a separate variety of fentanyl), has killed 17 people in the state in the last four months.
On The Front Lines Of The Overdose Epidemic In Baltimore
Some reports have noted gray death could be resistant to naloxone (Narcan), although controlled clinical studies are not available. First responders should immediately call 911 or other emergency personnel. Because ingredients change from sample to sample, each batch of grey death is a mystery — right down to its signature color. While Bodner said no charges have been brought in connection with any ketamine fatalities in L.A., other high-profile drug-related celebrity deaths have increased pressure for criminal charges. That would link ketamine to 0.4% of all 3,220 drug-related deaths in L.A.
Police arrest suspect in LAX road rage fight that knocked elderly woman unconscious
Webber, 25, said a typical new drug combination he’s seeing is heroin combined with 3-methylfentanyl, a more powerful version of fentanyl. It’s one of the reasons he tells users never to take drugs when they’re by themselves. In Ohio, the coroner’s office that serves the Cincinnati area said a similar compound has been coming in for months.
- People physically dependent on opioids require regular doses of the drug to avoid searing withdrawal symptoms.
- Twelve people were killed in motorcycle accidents in the county, a jump from eight the previous year.
- It is impossible to predict what substances gray death will contain and how potent it will be.
- Gray death ingredients and their concentrations are unknown to users, and they can be particularly lethal, Kilcrease said.
- Gray death contains fentanyl or carfentanil, so it has a high lipid solubility, which means that it can easily be absorbed into the skin.
Because of its potency, anyone who uses heroin and other illicit opioids is at risk for an overdose or other health complications from gray death even if they have already built up a high tolerance. Regardless of Gray Death’s drug mixture, there’s no doubt that it’s a dangerous blend. These drugs can lead to deadly overdoses, and combining them amplifies that risk. Prescription painkillers (opioid medications) have come to the forefront of this epidemic, with record numbers of people abusing them, overdosing on them, and dying from them. Six out of seven new synthetic opioids reported for the first time to the EU Early Warning System (EWS) in 2023 were nitazenes.
For less than 10 dollars, an addicted person can purchase a sizable quantity of it that is more potent than other, more expensive drugs that require larger amounts for them to experience an intense high. Many people don’t realize this when they first try gray death, however, and may accidentally take a high dose that ends up killing them. Opioids killed more than 33,000 people in the United States in 2015.
The abuse of opioids has been responsible for the deaths of over 20,000 Americans in 2014, climbing to 70,980 deaths in 2017. The numbers have increased hope house boston review and compare with eco sober house more recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been ongoing research on the amount of fatalities that occurred due to gray death.
But there are concerns with ketamine use, especially for those who take large doses, said Chase, a narcotics officer with decades of experience. Alexander said he worries about addiction relapse the long-term effects of repeated use in an untested setting. The FDA says ketamine use could lead to abuse, psychiatric events, increased blood pressure and slowed breathing.
You don’t have to live a life of addiction and suffering, and you’re not alone. There is always hope and there are many places that can help you reclaim your life. Cases against doctors for providing drugs are difficult for law enforcement to pursue, Bodner said. In the Perry investigation, he said, detectives likely will seek to determine whether there was any effort to conceal the ketamine or who it was going to. If the drug was obtained through the black market, it would likely be an easier case.
Although gray death can be smoked, the harmful ingredients make it so lethal that some reports warn against touching the drug. Ingredients found in the drug, like carfentanil, can cause death by being exposed to the skin or inhaled. Unfortunately, police who seize the drugs and EMT staff have to be careful not to touch batches of the drug; they can die or need medical attention due to exposure. Reversing a gray death overdose may require multiple doses of naloxone.
Lauren Camp, 24, had ingested the mix before she was found submerged in a bathtub in February, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said. Please don’t wait until it is too late and a family member or loved one overdoses and dies from their addiction. COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s being called “gray death” — a new and dangerous opioid combo that underscores the ever-changing nature of the U.S. addiction crisis. The opioid – which looks like a concrete mix – is a highly potent combination of heroin, fentanyl (a synthetic opioid), cafentanil (which is also used as an elephant tranquilizer) and U (synthetic opioid). The presence of gray death in Ohio is cause for significant concern. The state reached its highest total for unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2020.
The greater affinity of these substances for the μ-opioid receptor impedes the activity of naloxone, which is an antagonist at the receptor. It may be necessary to increase the dosage of naloxone or its frequency of administration in order to counteract respiratory depression. An EU report finds polysubstance use is the leading cause of drug deaths. The use of synthetic opioids and adulterated cannabis remains a critical concern, European drug agencies warn.
If you’re unsure where to start, talking to a therapist about your addiction is a good place. A therapist can help you unpack the triggers driving you to do drugs, like Gray Death. They can also help you find healthier coping mechanisms for those triggers. You can also combine treatment options, which can help you feel stronger along the road to recovery. Mixing them with other chemicals only amplifies the risk and makes them even more harmful, if not deadly. Gray Death refers to a fatal substance that combines several different drugs.
What law enforcement officials know about it so far is that it is a form of heroin that has synthetic opioid drugs mixed into it. Much research is still being done, but generally Narcan is the best option to treat an opioid overdose. In addition to Narcan, someone needing to uncover the root cause of opioid addiction can gain clinical care through counseling and 12-Step groups. All of these combined approaches to treatment can be of great benefit when under the care of a qualified medical professional. Gray death is a slang term which refers to the dangers that emerged in 2017, when potent mixtures of synthetic opioids, for example benzimidazole opioids or fentanyl analogues, were often sold on the street misleadingly as “heroin”.
All treatment calls are accepted by drug and alcohol centers advertising with the Call Affiliate LLC network. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security is warning about the new drug called “Gray Death” that doesn’t just kill the drug users with even the slightest contact – but the first responders who come to help as well. Mahjoubi, who said his clinical use of ketamine follows all medical protocols, worries that other clinics and online services are not as careful and whether that could mean more serious consequences, like Perry’s death. When rapper Mac Miller died in 2018 as a result of unwittingly taking fentanyl-laced pills, three drug dealers were convicted and sentenced to prison for selling him the drugs.