HSE warns of dangers of new 'designer drugs' in circulation ahead of festival season
THE HSE HAS warned of the dangers of new 'designer drugs' ahead of festival season, as over a quarter of ecstasy pills tested in 2024 had more than twice the typical adult dose of MDMA.
The HSE said that new types of ketamine are also appearing in Ireland, and are a cause of concern; these are known as ketamine analogues, or designer drugs.
'Ketamine is a drug that can make you feel disconnected from your body and surroundings. It can cause feelings of detachment and hallucinations which could create extra risks at festivals. These new types of drugs pose significantly higher risks, especially if combined with other drugs,' a HSE spokesperson said.
They added that these designer drugs are designed to 'mimic' ketamine but the effects they cause can be much stronger and unpredictable.
'You can't tell what is in a powder just by looking at it, and even a small amount could have serious health effects,' the spokesperson said.
The HSE National Clinical Lead for Addiction Services, Professor Eamon Keenan, said that it is safer for people not to use drugs at all.
'It is a concerning time as risks are increasing as a result of drug market changes, with new drugs starting to appear across european markets which can have unpredictable effects,' he said.
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Professor Keenan said people should be aware of the signs of an emergency and should not delay in getting help for themselves or others if it is needed.
A club drug emergency can start as someone having a high temperature, a headache or migraine, a general feeling of being unwell, confusion, anxiety, or pains in your arms, legs, or shins.
The HSE advises that when people are using drugs, they avoid doing more than one type of drug at a time – which includes mixing drugs with alcohol or prescription medications such as antidepressants that work on serotonin levels.
The advice is to make sure you are with people you know and that no one is left alone, and to never assume that one pill equals one dose, as this may not be the case, and it could be too much for your body to handle.
HSE advice states that you should 'start low and go very slow', which means taking a small test dose.
'Pace yourself by taking a small amount and leaving time between use, which can help you identify how you are reacting to the substance. If you don't react how you expected, avoid taking any more,' a spokesperson said.
The main advice is that if you are in doubt about how you are feeling, get checked out.
'Chat with medics on site at events if you are concerned, don't delay in getting medical help if you are concerned about a reaction: medics are your mates, and your wellbeing is the main priority,' a spokesperson said.
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3 hours ago
- The Journal
Health Minister apologises to woman after HSE admits to ‘failings' over cancer diagnosis
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Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Woman who received HSE apology over cancer diagnosis failings encourages women to get a smear test
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Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
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‘Something isn't working': Leona Macken urges cervical screening reform after HSE apology over smear failures
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The mother of two girls, aged five and eight, said on Today with Claire Byrne that while she trusted the system, its failure in her case does not mean it won't work for others. 'I would never tell someone not to get a smear. It didn't work for me, but that doesn't mean it won't work for you. 'I have two little girls, they'll be definitely getting the vaccinations. I don't want people to take from this that I'm saying smears don't work, it's just they need to be checked more like. Something isn't working somewhere and that's what we need to find out.' Receiving the apology was crucial for both her and her husband, Alan as she had felt that she needed 'to stick up for myself.' She had done 'everything right' and had even paid for smears herself having seen the experience of Jade Goody. 'I did everything I was meant to and for them to then validate that was huge for me.' Leona Macken and her husband Alan settled their legal action against the HSE, arising from what they said were failures in the CervicalCheck screening programme in 2016 and 2020. Picture: Collins Courts Despite two clear smear results, she said she always felt something was wrong. After two pregnancies, she assumed her symptoms might be due to hormonal changes, polycystic ovaries, endometriosis or perimenopause. But blood tests and ultrasounds were clear. 'I just did not think cancer at all because I knew I'd been so careful and I also knew it was a slow progressing cancer so I knew like that if there was something there I would have had abnormalities at some stage.' Ms Macken's current stage 4 diagnosis means 'it's treatable to a certain extent, but not curable.' "When I went in first, as you can imagine, being told you have stage 4 cancer, after being through everything else, and knowing this could have been avoided, it was gut-wrenching. I felt like, so hard done by, I'd done everything I could do. How did I get to this point,' she said. Telling her family was 'horrific.' She is currently undergoing quadruple therapy—'two chemotherapies and one or two immunotherapies,' she said. "At this point, I'm just still not giving in. I want to be the one to do it. 'I have two little girls growing up now and I'm worried about them. What's going to happen, you know? It's not good enough what's happening. I shouldn't be going through this today. I shouldn't be living this today.' Ms Macken welcomed an apology from health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and said she would love to meet her. 'I'm a very open person and I'm very open to a chat," she said. "They need to see these people in real life and see what they're going through, that they're not just a cancer, there are stories behind these people, where it's affecting my mom, my dad, where people's daughters, mothers, you know, and we shouldn't be going through it. "That's the most frustrating part is it could have been avoided.' Leona Macken settled her legal action against the HSE, arising from what they said were failures in the CervicalCheck screening programme in 2016 and 2020. Picture: Collins Courts She said she refused to give up. 'I have too much to live for. It's such a beautiful life. I have two beautiful children. I have an amazing family and a huge support behind me. In every other aspect of my life, I've always said I'm so lucky. I just have the most beautiful life and I just don't want to leave it." But, she added, serious reform is needed. "The auditing was stopped in 2018. It hasn't been picked up since. It was stopped weeks after Vicky Phelan's case," she said on Newstalk. "The Patient Safety Act of 2013 states that if this is even picked back up, it must remain anonymous. So the patients aren't necessarily being told the results. There are so many things in the system that need to be rectified like it needs to be looked at. It's just not good enough. It's people's family, it's people's daughters, kids are losing their mommies." On Morning Ireland, Minister Carroll MacNeill offered a personal apology and said that women should not have to fight for access to their medical history. 'There should be open disclosure and that's very, very clear and I want to offer my apology too in this case because what you have here is a 38-year-old woman who has been impacted in this way and so have her family and that is so, so important.' The Minister acknowledged that all screening programmes have limitations but said 'this should never have happened.' "What we want is people in medical negligence cases to have absolutely timely open disclosure, they need a resolution to their case and they do not need additional stress going through the court process. 'Obviously the state needs to manage it to a certain extent in terms of the broader liability but these are very, very clear cases and it is really important that people are treated and not provided additional stress and additional hurt through a court process."
