(NewsNation) — The Los Angeles Unified School District and the county health department are warning about the dangers of fentanyl after three local teens overdosed.
District leaders sent a letter to families alerting them that three students ingested drugs that they purchased online and believed to be ecstasy. They suffered neurological consequences, NewsNation affiliate KTLA reported.
According to a tweet from the L.A. County Public Health Department, three girls were found in a home on March 23 and required Narcan — a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of an overdose.
Fentanyl- and methamphetamine-related deaths increased in L.A. County during the pandemic and continue to rise at “an alarming rate,” according to the county’s health department.
Symptoms of an opioid overdose can include the following, according to the health department:
- Altered mental status
- Loss of consciousness
- Pinpoint pupils
- Slowed breathing
- Slowed or erratic heart rate
- Nausea or vomiting
- Muscle spasms
- Cold, clammy skin
- Skin color changes
- Seizures