4 ms·

My daughter died from a fentanyl overdose a couple of months ago. Like many of the people on this site, I am a software engineer working for a top-tier tech fi

My daughter died from a fentanyl overdose a couple of months ago. Like many of the people on this site, I am a software engineer working for a top-tier tech firm in SF. Money isn't a serious problem in our lives. Total time from "maybe our daughter is doing drugs?" to death was less than three months. We sent her to rehab in that time because she was abusing cocaine and asked to go. I am not some ignorant parent - I've tried plenty of things and k ow the signs well. Please, if you have kids, tell them about fentanyl. It is SO much more potent than heroin and can kill on the first dose. She went to a party, someone offered her some "coke", she snorted some and she died soon after. Turns out the coke was fentanyl or at least had some in it. The autopsy of my daughter showed that there were no injection marks. She had a career and in no way fit the stereotype of an addict. One day she existed, the next she did not. I am neither pro nor ani drug. I don't care about that. All i care about is telling people the story of my daughter. Fentanyl is so much more potent than heroin and it is sweeping the entire nation. If you have kids, please tell them tbat it exists and that people are selling it right now claiming its something different.

mirimir 10y ago
That is just so sad. I can't help but think of all the street drugs I've ingested in one way or another. It's just that, in those days, there wasn't stuff out there that would kill you so easily.
TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
I watched a friend start to lose consciousness and start to lose colour from extremely shallow breathing after taking more Heroin that he should have. Fortunately I knew what to do. We kept him breathing till the ambulance arrived and got him breathing and back to a reasonable level of consciousness again using nasally administered Naloxone (Narcan) solution. As far as I'm aware Fentanyl overdose can be treated the same way: Give breathes until an ambulance arrives. What saddens me most about these stories is that no one present had the knowledge necessary to keep someone alive long enough for help to arrive. Never use along, never dose at the same time as your buddy / buddies. Make sure your buddy / buddies know what to do. If in doubt half the dose.
- mirimir 10y ago
  But arguably, none of the people involved even realized that they were taking opiates.
- darpa_escapee 10y ago
  > Fortunately I knew what to do. We kept him breathing till the ambulance arrived and got him breathing and back to a reasonable level of consciousness again using nasally administered Naloxone (Narcan) solution. That's amazing, you're quite literally a hero. > As far as I'm aware Fentanyl overdose can be treated the same way: Give breathes until an ambulance arrives. I believe some of the fentanyl analogues going around are more potent than fentanyl itself. Fentanyl overdoses can require multiple doses of Narcan. Fentanyl analogues may require much more than that if it works at all. > Never use along, never dose at the same time as your buddy / buddies. Make sure your buddy / buddies know what to do. If in doubt half the dose. Half the dose can be too much. Titrate upwards as if you were just sold pure fentanyl powder by a dealer who doesn't know any better, because that's a thing that happens.
exolymph 10y ago
I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your experience, and I hope peace comes to you and your family eventually.
ChuckMcM 10y ago
I am really sorry for your loss, I cannot imagine how painful it would be to lose your daughter. Too many people have died this way (drugged by a nominal friend into an OD or other fatal experience).

mirimir 10y ago

That is just so sad. I can't help but think of all the street drugs I've ingested in one way or another. It's just that, in those days, there wasn't stuff out there that would kill you so easily.

TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago

I watched a friend start to lose consciousness and start to lose colour from extremely shallow breathing after taking more Heroin that he should have. Fortunately I knew what to do. We kept him breathing till the ambulance arrived and got him breathing and back to a reasonable level of consciousness again using nasally administered Naloxone (Narcan) solution. As far as I'm aware Fentanyl overdose can be treated the same way: Give breathes until an ambulance arrives. What saddens me most about these stories is that no one present had the knowledge necessary to keep someone alive long enough for help to arrive. Never use along, never dose at the same time as your buddy / buddies. Make sure your buddy / buddies know what to do. If in doubt half the dose.

mirimir 10y ago
But arguably, none of the people involved even realized that they were taking opiates.
darpa_escapee 10y ago
> Fortunately I knew what to do. We kept him breathing till the ambulance arrived and got him breathing and back to a reasonable level of consciousness again using nasally administered Naloxone (Narcan) solution. That's amazing, you're quite literally a hero. > As far as I'm aware Fentanyl overdose can be treated the same way: Give breathes until an ambulance arrives. I believe some of the fentanyl analogues going around are more potent than fentanyl itself. Fentanyl overdoses can require multiple doses of Narcan. Fentanyl analogues may require much more than that if it works at all. > Never use along, never dose at the same time as your buddy / buddies. Make sure your buddy / buddies know what to do. If in doubt half the dose. Half the dose can be too much. Titrate upwards as if you were just sold pure fentanyl powder by a dealer who doesn't know any better, because that's a thing that happens.

exolymph 10y ago

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your experience, and I hope peace comes to you and your family eventually.

ChuckMcM 10y ago

I am really sorry for your loss, I cannot imagine how painful it would be to lose your daughter. Too many people have died this way (drugged by a nominal friend into an OD or other fatal experience).