The Department of Public Safety issued a public alert regarding counterfeit pills, following reports of several overdoses this week due to blue pills bearing an M30 marking. The light blue, round tablet appears to be an oxycodone 30 mg tablet based on the imprints and coloring.
Photos of confiscated pill found in Alaska (front and back).
When the pills were analyzed at the State Crime Detection Laboratory, the preliminary results indicated that the primary component of the tablet appeared to be fentanyl. No oxycodone was observed during the testing completed so far.
Megan Peters of the Alaska Department of Public Safety says that she is not sure of how widespread the counterfeit pills are in the state, but that a flurry of overdoses prompted this alert: “There were a handful of overdoses in just one day, that were reported to us, that were linked to this. Any time we can prevent somebody from overdosing just by giving them the information that these pills are out there and they do contain fentanyl, which can be very deadly very quickly, we just really want to get that information out to the public.”
Photo of counterfeit Oxycodone pills provided by the DEA.
A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about only two milligrams. Too much of an opioid, such as fentanyl, heroin, or oxycodone, affects parts of the brain that control breathing. As a result, breathing can become very slow or may stop. Symptoms can occur quickly and be triggered by a much lower perceived dose with illicit counterfeit medications than a usual medical dose. Call 911 if any of the following symptoms are observed:
- Failure to respond when spoken to;
- Failure to wake up when prompted;
- Slow or no breathing;
- Tiny pupils (the center part of the eye);
- Fingernails or lips are turning blue or purple.
Ms. Peters, on how easy it is to make a simple mishap when using these pills: “One of the really dangerous things about counterfeit pills is that you don’t know the quality or the cut in any of them. One pill can be different make-up from the next pill. There’s no quality control when people are making these themselves. So, somebody that thinks they normally can handle 30 mg, they’ll take it without thinking, and if it’s not what they’re thinking, they can overdose.”
An opioid overdose is life-threatening and requires immediate emergency, medical attention. Use caution. Do not handle these pills without gloves. Fentanyl can be absorbed into the body via inhalation, oral exposure, ingestion, or skin contact.