Georgia sees two dead and dozens hospitalized from mass drug overdoses

In the ongoing and growing opioid epidemic in that state, law enforcement officers in Georgia have said that two people have died and dozens more had to be hospitalized after taking yellow pills they believed were Percocet. Officials are calling it a “mass overdose.” While the content of those pills is still being investigated, the drug in question is extremely potent and potentially lethal.

Drug overdose cases have increased over a 48-hour period

Nelly Miles, spokeswoman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that reports are still coming in and that the number of fatalities from the unknown drug could likely increase.

The increasing number of overdose cases has occurred over a 48-hour period in Albany, Centerville, Macon, Perry and Warner Robins. However as stated by the Georgia Department of Public Health, the pills could well be continuing to be sold in other areas.

The department described the drug as a yellow pill which users believed to be Percocet. The drug has been described as “extremely potent” and officials warn anyone who believes they have taken the pills to immediately call 911.

Huge doses of naloxone necessary to battle the drug

According to the Department of Public Health, paramedics found it necessary to administer huge doses of naloxone, or Narcan as it is commercially known, in order to battle the effects of the powerful drug.

Overdose patients were said by emergency responders to be either unconscious or unresponsive and also had difficulty breathing or had stopped breathing altogether. Many patients are now attached to ventilators for that reason.

Pill content unknown and being investigated

The content of the yellow pills is still unknown and the Department of Public Health is running tests to identify the ingredients in the pills.

Miles went on to say that many pills sold on the streets are laced with several other drugs, making the effects totally unknown and potentially very dangerous. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation also issued a public safety warning last month about bogus pills containing trans-dermal drugs, which are absorbed through the skin.

As reported by the New York Daily News, Georgia has been suffering an increase in opioid addictions in the last few months. During the period between 2006 and 2014, Drug Overdoses in Georgia reportedly killed around 1,000 each year. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that drug overdoses are these days the leading cause of death among those under 50 years of age.