? Fake Subutex deaths

[simon]

A word to the wise please read
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/5413564.stm

[Tony.B.]

Thanks Simon
Very valuable....... yet so sad to lose lives and so young.
Serious stuff and again so so sad.
Dave i don't know if you are replying to this but local knowledge/insight may turn out to be very useful eh?
Best
Tony B

[simon]

Heart breaking isn't it. and the poor families.

[dave penn]

Hi folks,

The only info I have on this at the moment is from teletext which just called the tablets "subbies" and that the local police were warning "drug users"  not to use them as they believed them to be contaminated?

What seems to be very worrying to me is that how has a pharmaceutical drug become contaminated and if it was an illicitly manufactured copy why do it ? it doesn't make sense.

I am doing a training session for the RCGP on Monday for Prescribers, GP's & Pharmacists  from the Yorkshire & Humber Region so that will give me an opportunity to try and find out any info on this very sad event. I also have a Regional User Forum meeting on the 10/10/06 and again will be able to try to find out what has gone on.

What is really strange about all this is that before Subutex was called Subutex and it was only really prescribed for angina and moderate to severe pain at doses around .2mgs and then called Temgesic the only company to manufacture it in the UK was Reckitt & Colman based in Hull!!  And apparently the only area of the UK which seemed to have a problem with its misuse was Glasgow. 

Off to bed now.
Regards Dave Penn.
 

[simon]

Dave,
Agree it would be bad business sense to cut with something that can cause deaths. It could be they were opiate naive maybe ? Then we hear of fake benzo's being cut with allsorts of crap, and patients tell me people are dying taking them, but never read it in the paper or from coroner. I wonder how much is urban myth.

Reckitt Benckeiser do make the subutex and I understood there was a problem there some time ago and not just in Glasgow. One of the GP's I work with spent some time in GLasgow years ago working and he said the Temgesic were a huge problem there then.

[Alan J]

Dear Dave,

Just wondering if the mode of ingestion and cause of death have been identified?

Subutex is often dispensed under supervision and sleight of hand is used to removed it from the mouth for future diversion.

Sadly the mouth is a 'cess pit' and severe bacterial infection's (Strep and Staph) have been associated with injection of Subutex (Buprenorphine ) tablets that have been in the mouth
and passed/sold/ for later injection.

This is a little known risk but I am sure there is a report on a spate of infections in S/E London by the NAC at the Maudsley published a year or two back?

The other risk is when users lick the spike to 'lubricate' it before taking a fix. Same risk of bacterial infection.

Do let us know more.

Bathtub bup'es sound like bad news if this was proven to be the cause for the harm.


Respect as always: Alan J.

[Tony.B.]

Dave
To add totally unecessary weight to your comment regarding Glasgow and the Temgesic phenomena.
Whilst possibly south wales..sorry South Wales(Welsh pride i understand), mind those of you who know of it living on the Gurnos Estate for many years as an English partner of a 'Valley Girl' i suffered at the hands of said 'pride'. Another thread to that story mind you.
Whilst S/Wales had this type of regional issue with Benzos, Merthyr being the first Town/City to employ security Guards specifically to ' deal' with unrequited Benzo requestees. Very severely too as you can imagine.
My point being Scotland on the whole but most definitely Glasgow did have this almost community Self Med, where every h/hold had someone on a Temgesic script for a plethora of pain and mood reasons.
I know this happens everwhere but it is interesting when these regional trends or actions/practice are most definitely recognisable.
Interested in this for years since some chap in jail snorted some and got one hell of a surprise. The next morning after dicovering the source most of the above intel was 'bought'. 23yrs ago now mind you. So yes in the timeline Dave.
Alao yes the bacterial issue(s) Alan and  Diversion with reports of up to 20mins to disolve if i remember recent evidence correctly.
HR and for all other reasons a very interesting subject and this thread is too nice one chaps.
Best
Tony B   

[Jan]

I read this, but still not known whatthe contaminant is. Scary thing to happen