Wyoming fentanyl deaths up as state pushes awareness

GILLETTE —The number of fentanyl-related overdose deaths has steadily increased in Wyoming since 2017. The number of yearly deaths fluctuated prior to that, with up and down years since 2013, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.

But the change has drawn the attention of the state department of health, which released information about the rising deaths and what to know about the synthetic opioid drug.

There were 106 fentanyl overdose deaths in Wyoming in 2021. That number increased from 99 deaths in 2020, 78 deaths in 2019, 65 deaths in 2018 and 62 deaths in 2017.

The number has been this high before.

In 2014, there were also 106 fentanyl overdose deaths, up from 96 deaths the year before, according to the state department of health.

“The increase over the last couple of years in overdose deaths is partially due to an increase in synthetic opioid-involved overdose deaths,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist, in a press release. “In fact, between 2018 and 2021 the number of synthetic opioid-involved fatal overdoses among residents of our state more than quadrupled while the deaths connected with most other opioids stayed relatively stable.”

There has been one fentanyl overdose death in Campbell County so far this year, said Paul Wallem, Campbell County coroner. That death occurred in January. There have been three other overdose deaths in the county this year related to meth use.

In 2021, there were three drug overdose deaths in Campbell County, all of which involved adult men who overdosed on fentanyl.

Prior to that, there were five overdose deaths in 2020, four of which were related to fentanyl with the other one related to non-fentanyl opiate use.

There were four overdose deaths in 2019, two of which were related to fentanyl. The other two overdoses that year were related to non-fentanyl opiates.

A huffing-related death also occurred in 2021, in addition to the three overdoses, which are typically rare.

Fentanyl is a manmade drug often used in a prescribed manner by physicians to treat patients with severe pain. However, in its illegally made form, it is often sold through drug markets and added to other drugs to make them cheaper and more powerful.

“Because fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, it can also be more addictive and clearly more dangerous,” Harrist said.

Synthetic opioid overdoses are a rising concern in the country at large.

“This drug is nothing short of frightening when used illegally,” said Stefan Johansson, state department of health director, in a press release. “What increases the level of danger is that people using drugs can be unaware that a synthetic opioid has been added to a drug they have bought or been given to use. They don’t know the fentanyl is there and the results are sometimes tragic.”