Warning over heroin use after near-fatal cases

Anyone at risk of an overdose has been urged to carry a Naloxone kit

Drug users who have recently used heroin should seek urgent medical advice, the Isle of Man Constabulary has said.

It follows two incidents of “near-fatal overdoses” that were attended to by police and ambulance crews on Monday evening.

Anyone who has recently bought the drug but not yet taken it has also been “strongly” advised to dispose of it “appropriately and safely”.

Anyone who suspects they or someone they know have taken an overdose should "call 999".

Addiction charity Motiv8 has also called for those who carry the anti-overdose drug Naloxone to make sure they keep it with them and urged anyone who did take the drug not to do it alone.

A spokeswoman for the charity said: “Luckily the two people have survived because of very quick intervention by ambulance and police.

She urged anyone who suspected they or someone they knew may have taken an accidental overdose to “call 999 for medical help immediately”.

People have been urged to be aware of the early signs of a heroin overdose, which include pin-point pupils, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, slowed breathing or snoring and skin turning blue or grey.

People at risk of opioid overdose and their relatives have also been reminded that the potentially life-saving Naloxone kits are available free of charge from the charity.

Motiv8 recently issued a warning about the potential contamination of some drugs, including heroin, with synthetic opioids known as Nitazenes, which could be “thousands of times stronger” than the drug itself.