Reports continue to be received from within Greater Glasgow and Clyde and elsewhere of rapid onset overdoses involving features such as respiratory depression and unresponsiveness occurring within moments of injecting drugs.

A briefing note on the situation has been prepared by NHS GGC and is attached and aimed at people who provide services to people who use drugs and people who use drugs and their friends and families.

Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) have issued an overdose alert due to concerns regarding clusters of overdoses and deaths in some areas of Scotland.

• SDF Overdose Alert Information
• SDF Overdose Alert PDF
  
  

Public Health Scotland have prepared a media statement and recirculated the RADAR Nitazene alert.

• PHS overdose media statement
• RADAR nitazene alert
  
  

PHS has provided a national case definition for rapid onset overdoses to enable consistent monitoring of this situation:

• People presenting with a sudden cardio-respiratory collapse as part of a suspected opioid overdose. The presence of injecting equipment in-situ is an objective feature of rapid onset of overdose symptoms. The overdose requires sustained basic life support and more than expected doses of naloxone for reversal. 
  
  

You can order a free naloxone kit via Scottish Families Click and Deliver Service:  Click and Deliver Naloxone – SFAD

Training to respond to an overdose using naloxone is available via SDF elearning course: Overdose Prevention, Intervention and Naloxone e-learning – Scottish Drugs Forum

Training can also be requested in person to staff teams and service user groups from Inverclyde ADP: ADPartnership@inverclyde.gov.uk

Please ensure anyone at risk of an overdose has naloxone – Naloxone can be supplied from Inverclyde Alcohol and Drug Recovery Service, Inverclyde Alcohol and Drug Partnership, Moving On Inverclyde, Your Voice, some community pharmacies or online via  Click and Deliver Naloxone – SFAD.