Fentanyl linked to growing number of opioid overdose deaths in New Orleans metro area

Fentanyl has been linked to a growing number of drug overdose deaths in New Orleans, mirroring a trend seen nationally in recent years.

While the number of drug-related overdose deaths in New Orleans involving opiates in general has remained relatively steady (168 deaths last year, 166 deaths in 2017 and 2016), the portion of deaths where fentanyl was found has doubled in that same time period, according to the Orleans Parish Coroner’s 2018 report on accidental drug-related deaths.

Out of the 168 individuals who tested positive for opiates in 2018, 106 tested positive for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid nearly 100 times more powerful than morphine, as compared to 87 in 2017, and 48 in 2016.

More overdose deaths tied to fentanyl in Jefferson Parish last year

Of the 172 drug overdose deaths reported in Jefferson Parish in 2018, 77 involved fentanyl.

“The opioid epidemic continues to claim lives in New Orleans,” said New Orleans Coroner, Dr. Dwight McKenna in the report. “The number of drug overdose deaths continues to surpass the number of homicides in the city.”

There were 208 accidental drug-related deaths last year and 146 total homicides in New Orleans.

Jefferson Parish reported similar statistics earlier this month. The death total from fentanyl jumped by 200 percent from 2016 when only 26 drug-related deaths involving the synthetic opiate were reported, according to data provided by the Jefferson Parish Coroner’s office. Of the 172 accidental drug overdose deaths in Jefferson Parish last year, 77 were linked to fentanyl.

The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s office released its 2018 data last week, reporting a total of 88 accidental overdose deaths, increasing slightly from 74 the year before. The vast majority of accidental drug overdose deaths in their report listed a combination of opiates, alcohol, and other substances. Fentanyl was linked to 19 of these deaths last year.

The most recent wave of accidental opioid overdose deaths nationally involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and tramadol, which is used to relieve moderate to severe pain after surgery, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fentanyl became the leading cause of all opioid overdose deaths in 2017 for the first time, when nearly 30,000 people died. Louisiana experienced a 12.4 percent increase in overdose death from 2016 to 2017 and was one of 25 states that saw a statistically significant increase, according to CDC data.