Mixing substances
Mixing a drug with other substances, whether they are prescription drugs, street drugs, or alcohol, can increase your risk of overdose and death. Some combinations can be more deadly than others.
Street drugs may have other drugs mixed in without your knowledge. Get your drugs checked to know more about what might be in your drugs.
One myth about mixing drugs is that using stimulants ("uppers") and depressants ("downers") together can cancel out the risk. However, using two drugs together means your body has more work to process two drugs instead of one.
It is important to note that mixing substances, for example an opioid and a stimulant, can decrease the effectiveness of naloxone when responding to an overdose.
Naloxone is effective to reverse the effects of an opioid and will not cause harm if administered for overdoses caused by other types of drugs. It is recommended to administer naloxone in the event of an overdose.
Toxicity
Some drugs are far more potent than others. Fentanyl is an opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than other opioids (such as heroin, oxycodone, and morphine). It can be deadly even in extremely small amounts. The illegal opioid supply has become more potent in recent years.
Health status
If you are sick or feeling unwell, your body may be working harder than usual and less able to handle the amount of drugs that you would usually use. If you have an illness that affects your lungs and you take a depressant drug ("downer") that slows breathing, you may be at a higher risk of overdose and death. Depressant drugs that slow breathing include opioids (such as fentanyl, morphine, hydromorphone, heroin, oxycodone, or methadone), gabapentin and benzodiazepines. If you take a stimulant drug and have a pre-existing heart condition, you may be at a higher risk of overdose and death.
Tolerance
With some drugs, like opioids, the body can build a tolerance. This means that over time, you would have to use more drugs than before to feel the same effects. If you start using a new type of drug, stop using drugs or reduce your use – even for a few days – you may have less tolerance.
Make a Plan for Safer Drug Use