What is the drug of choice in your area?

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Where I live, the drug of choice is almost exclusively heroin. I am well versed in the treatment of heroin overdoses and the resources for those who use, as we have several per day on average. I've never dealt with a patient on bath salts, meth, crack, etc. , at least to my knowledge. I'm getting ready to relocate to a different region and i'm realizing I may have to educate myself on other presentations for other substances!

Addendum . . . Meth and Pot. Lots and lots of it. I'm in California!

I don't know what Flakka and Opana are though.

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Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
Addendum . . . Meth and Pot. Lots and lots of it. I'm in California!

I don't know what Flakka and Opana are though.

Opana (oxymorphone) is an opioid. We have seen an increase in Opana abuse recently. Mainly it's dilaudid, oxycodone, and alcohol. At my previous facility (same part of state, just different county) it was meth and alcohol. Lots and lots of meth.

Recently we are seeing more and more people who have cellulitis or abscesses because they are crushing up their Opana, Dilaudid or Oxy and injecting it. Often times they'll beg for a PICC line and the residents will get one ordered. Most times we are able to catch it before they are inserted because we know, as soon as the PICC is placed, they are out the door.

I don't work a heart floor so don't know what happens to the Opana abuseers beyond the abscesses. It is some seriously nasty stuff.

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Heroin, meth, and opioids are a big problem here. I live in the north Bay Area of California.

My family lives in the high desert of WA and there's a lot of meth, opioids, and spice in that area.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

If I'm not going to include plain ol MJ, then ETOH, Heroin, Meth, Cocaine and Laced MJ.

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Specializes in LTC.
Addendum . . . Meth and Pot. Lots and lots of it. I'm in California!

I don't know what Flakka and Opana are though.

NorCal here and I only know about Opana addiction from NPR. I only know Flakka from Drugs Inc.

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Specializes in Emergency; med-surg; mat-child.

Drug of choice around here? What have you got?

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Specializes in Emergency; med-surg; mat-child.
Opana (oxymorphone) is an opioid. We have seen an increase in Opana abuse recently.

I know a doc who went to bat at their facility to refuse to carry Opana in the pharmacy. I was so proud.

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Wow never heard of opana and I have no idea what flakka is- I thought it was the same as spice? No?

I forgot about etoh. Tons and tons of that.

I'm in MA.

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Specializes in Emergency.

When dilaudid dreams, it dreams it's opana.

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Flakka and opiates.

Sorry... Maybe I'm ignorant but what is flakka? Lol

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NorCal here and I only know about Opana addiction from NPR. I only know Flakka from Drugs Inc.

Northern California here too - the real NorCal though. Sacramento and above. ;) We consider the Bay Area to be Central California.

I googled Flakka . . . never heard of it even when I read about what it is . . .

Flakka: Drug Side Effects, Complications, and Symptoms

Opana is a brand name probably not used around here much because I HAVE heard of oxymorphone.

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Sacramento and up north...meth, meth, and lots of booze.

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