Portage County sees increase in accidental drug deaths

Tierra Thomas
Lydia Taylor

From 2011 to 2017, the rate of accidental drugs deaths in one year for Portage County has increased substantially, going from five deaths in 2011 to 45 deaths in 2017.

“This is an alarming rate that the deaths have skyrocketed,” said Karyn Hall, Director of Community Relations at the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County.

One major cause to the accidental drug deaths includes the mixing of fentanyl, a drug used for pain relief, and cocaine.

The National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects information on many of the more commonly used drugs, reported the rate of deaths from using cocaine with opioids have increased. Cocaine deaths not involving opioids have also increased by nine percent, which doesn’t appear as alarming.

“We had a couple of people die from (fentanyl) being mixed in cocaine, and I’m sure they had no idea,” Hall said. “They had no idea what drugs they were taking, and it killed them.”

David Glass, a professor at Kent State who studies the use of cocaine, said even just a small dose of fentanyl mixed in with a drug can cause death. It makes the drug 100 times more potent than the normal effects.

When it comes to addiction, Glass explained that with stimulants, such as cocaine, a level of dopamine is released into the brain each time it’s taken. Normally, after a dopamine-enhancing actions such as exercise is done, the dopamine is eventually taken into the synapse and removed from the body so the person would be able to relax.

Cocaine blocks the synapses from taking the dopamine, leaving it in the system for longer than it should, giving the user a sense of euphoria.

“The more of the cocaine, the more you take, the more desensitized your reward system becomes to that specific drug,” Glass said. “So in order to keep getting your buzz or your high, you have to keep taking more and more of that drug.”

Cocaine, however, isn’t as addictive depending on how often it’s abused. It also depends on the person and their genetics. Glass said people who are born with a genetic predisposition to addiction, such as a family history of abusing drugs, are more likely to get addicted.

But it’s possible that people could not get addicted at all.

For college students specifically, Glass said binging is the most common mode.

“You might take it one weekend when you’re out with friends, but then you won’t take it for a long time or you might take it every other week,” Glass said. “It’s more social than anything. But there is a chance, such as if one has the genetic predisposition for it, to get addicted with one use.”

With fentanyl, it’s easier to become more addicted to cocaine. It’s also easier to overdose on the drug, Glass said.

With the increase of accidental deaths, the mental health recovery programs have also seen an increase in how many people seek help for their addiction.

The Mental Health Recovery Board funds several recovery programs in Portage County including Townhall 2, Family & Community Services and Coleman Professional Services. They also provide a 24-hour helpline for addiction.

“Most people don’t need to go to rehab, like a residential treatment like you see in the movies,” Hall said. “Most people don’t need that level of care, most people have jobs and families that they’re trying to support and hold together, so outpatient treatment does work and we fund that.”

In addition to those programs, the Board also expanded its funding to a new one for peer-recovery support. Former drug-addicts who received treatment and went through recovery can now help those currently looking to recover.

“There’s just that bond of, you know, ‘hey, I’ve been there, too’ and kind of makes the person who is still struggling and trying to get under recovery and get their feet on the ground… feel like they can talk to (someone),” Hall said.

With several recovery services around Portage County, hope for those people struggling with addiction to any drug remains.

“It’s very important for families to know that there is support out there and their loved ones can go into treatment and can get help and that there is hope to not give up,” Hall said. “People recover.”

Information provided by the Portage County Mental Health and Recovery Board.