Doctors observe a rapid increase in the number of drug addicts; a 25-year-old pregnant woman also overdosed on drugs

She pointed out that the situation in the country is not good at the moment, because experience and the number of calls show that the number of drug users is growing rapidly, as well as the spread and availability of these substances. Meanwhile, the drug addicts themselves told the NMPD that “it is easier and cheaper for them to buy various narcotic substances than quality alcohol”.

Similarly, NMPD employees have recently observed that new substances are entering the market of narcotic substances, already with a completely different composition, which are much more dangerous for their users.

“If the dosage of these new narcotics has been inadequate, we are unfortunately no longer able to help, and the cases often end fatally. Most of the time, in these types of calls, the patients are unconscious, practically all of them have stopped breathing. Yes, there are also special medications that we use to these people would be saved, but they do not always have an effect on the new types of narcotic substances,” explained Dīriņa.

At the same time, she emphasized that it is not only hardened drug addicts or those living under the bridge who overdose on drugs.

Among those who overdosed was also a 25-year-old woman expecting a baby, 34 weeks pregnant.

Compared to 2021, last year the number of calls to the use of narcotic substances has increased significantly – last year they were an average of 233 calls per month, as opposed to 196 calls in 2021. In general, during the year, the number of calls due to the use of narcotic substances increased by almost 500 calls. A similar situation can be observed this year as well. The number of drug abuse calls continues to increase and currently averages 253 calls per month, or eight calls per day.

There are also more deaths from drug use in the EMS stage every year. Compared to 2021, last year the number of deaths due to overdose was half as many – there were 13 calls where people’s lives could no longer be saved. On the other hand, in the first two months of this year, the lives of three people have been extinguished in connection with the use of narcotic substances, the oldest of whom was 35 years old, but in two cases they were only 17-year-old teenagers. Dirina said that one of them died last week due to the use of narcotic substances. The EMS medics failed to save this teenager even after prolonged resuscitation measures.

The Riga Psychiatry and Narcology Center (RPNC) believes that the reason for this is the popularity of synthetic opioids, especially drugs of the nitazene group. Astrida Stirna, head of the Center’s Narcological Assistance Service, previously informed that isotonitazene is a relatively new, powerful synthetic opioid of the nitazene group – a particularly dangerous narcotic substance, similar to morphine and fentanyl.

The doctor explained that the effect of this narcotic substance on the human body is particularly strong. The addictive potential is the same as that of morphine, but the substance is 100 times stronger than morphine. Since the substance is so strong, it has a very high risk of overdose, especially because the addict does not always know exactly what he is using and what is in the composition of the illegally purchased substance.