"Extreme caution" is being advised for drug users after heroin was found in a white powder sold as ketamine.
The New Zealand drug information alert service, High Alert, issued a warning after a sample was brought into an Auckland drug checking clinic.
The white powder had been sold as ketamine, however testing by the New Zealand Drug Foundation found only heroin in the sample.
High Alert urges "extreme caution" as anyone who takes this powder thinking it's ketamine is at high risk of "serious harm, including death".
"Ketamine and heroin come from different classes of drugs and produce different effects. While ketamine is a dissociative, heroin is a potent opioid and central nervous system depressant," it said in its alert.
"A typical dose of heroin is smaller than a typical dose of ketamine, meaning that a person taking this substance thinking it is ketamine may inadvertently take multiple doses of heroin, increasing the risk of serious harm, including death."
The effects of heroin include:
- Feeling euphoric or in a 'dreamlike' state
- Sedation ('the nod' - being drowsy and then jerking awake)
- Temporary relief of pain, stress, or low mood
- Severe nausea and/or vomiting
- Severe sweating or fever
- Slowed and/or difficulty breathing
- Blue lips and/or fingertips
- Cold and clammy skin
- Pinpoint (tiny) pupils
- Becoming unresponsive and/or losing consciousness
The signs of an opioid overdose include:
- The person's face is extremely pale and/or feels clammy to the touch
- Their body goes limp
- Their fingernails and/or lips have a purple or blue colour
- They start vomiting or making gurgling noises
- They cannot be awakened or are unable to speak
- Their pupils become very small
- Their breathing and/or heartbeat slows or stops
How to reduce harm from the drug:
- Use drug-checking services
- Use a reagent test to check it first
- Avoid using alone
- Start off with a smaller or 'tester' dose
- Avoid using it at the same time as other substances, especially other depressant drugs
- Have naloxone with you
