Heroin is main drug found in syringes collected from drug projects

Heroin remained the most common drug in syringes — 90% in Dublin and 78.5% in the Midlands.

Heroin continues to be the main drug found in syringes that have been analysed by a programme operated by the HSE.

Cocaine is the second most common drug, although there has been a reduction since last year, which was the first year of the project.

A total of 165 syringes were collected from Merchants Quay drug projects in Dublin (100 syringes) and in the Midland region of Offaly, Longford and Laois (65).

They were submitted to the National Drug Treatment Centre for analysis in late 2022.

They found seven categories of drugs in the syringes, involving a total of 26 different substances. In one syringe, there were up to 15 substances found.

The main results included:

• Heroin remained the most common drug in syringes — 90% in Dublin and 78.5% in the Midlands;
• Cocaine was the second most common drug, although its presence reduced significantly on 2021 — 86.5% to 71% in Dublin and 89% to 50.8% in the Midlands;
• A significant decrease in pregabalin (a legal anti-anxiety medication and painkiller often taken by heroin users) — 24.7% to just 3% in Dublin and 34.5% to 15.4% in the Midlands;
• A significant increase in the use of flurazepam (a legal benzodiazepine anti-anxiety drug) in the Midlands, from 12.7% to 20%. 

The most common ‘cutting agents’ remain caffeine and paracetamol.

Other drugs found in the blood in syringes include methadone (down from 61.8% to 33% in Dublin and from 50.9% to 16.9% in Midlands) and MDMA (up from 1.1% to 5% in Dublin).

The report noted the absence of synthetic opiates such as fentanyl and nitazene. 

Nitazene was the subject of HSE alerts last November after 74 drug overdoses in Dublin and Cork were blamed on the synthetic opiate.

The Irish Examiner reported before Christmas that the HSE was setting up a national red alert group to monitor and respond to the problem.