New numbers foreshadow a worse year for overdoses nationwide as health experts warn of a super drug 100 times stronger than fentanyl.
In the first three months of 2018, Clearwater Fire & Rescue used the opioid reversal drug Narcan 60 times. But they used it 126 times during the same period this year. That's more than a 100-percent increase.
“Yeah, it’s ominous," said Pete Gushee, Assistant Fire Chief with Clearwater Fire & Rescue.
Other Pinellas County agencies are seeing similar increases in Narcan use as well.
“My prediction is that at the end of this year and beginning of 2020, we’re going to see double the rate of Narcan administration," Gushee said.