‘Huge risk’ as benzodiazepine found in Brandon drug sample: harm reduction advocate – CBC

Benzodiazepine can be dangerous when paired with opioids like fentanyl, but can’t be treated by naloxone

Aug 17, 2022

Manitoba’s southwestern health region has issued an alert about a potentially dangerous substance recently found in a street drug sample confiscated in Brandon.

A beige powder that appeared in the city tested positive for fentanyl and bromazolam, Prairie Mountain Health said in a drug alert first posted to social media last week.

Bromazolam is in the benzodiazepine family. Benzodiazepines, or “benzos,” are depressants typically prescribed as a sedative. They can be dangerous when paired with an opioid like fentanyl, because the sedation increases the risk of an overdose, according to Health Canada.

“What’s most concerning for us is that it’s not an opioid … so naloxone doesn’t work on it,” said Const. Myran Hamm, a public information officer with the Brandon Police Service, referring to the antidote used to treat opioid overdoses.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/drug-alert-brandon-1.6553156