Pubdate: Fri, 31 Aug 2012 Source: Metro (Calgary, CN AB) Copyright: 2012 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/Calgary Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4471 Author: Jeremy Nolais PMMA ECSTASY THREAT REMAINS Drugs: Calgary Patient Nearly Died in July After Ingesting Confirmed Dose of Toxic Compound It was deja vu of the very worst kind for Dr. Mark Yarema. An emergency room physician and medical director for the Poison and Drug Information Service, Yarema watched in early July as a patient fought to live for five days. Elevated body temperature, muscle breakdown - the very same symptoms he had seen dozens of times before at the height of Calgary's crisis with a toxic ecstasy compound known as PMMA. Results of testing done on the patient came back and sure enough he had tested positive for the substance that had vanished from local headlines in recent months. "It was serious enough that we didn't think he was going to make it," Yarema said. "It's very easy to become complacent and think the problem has left, but it's clear we're still seeing cases . . . the drug hasn't completely gone away." While that instance in July is the only PMMA-confirmed case in Calgary since the crisis slowed in March, Yarema said some of the dozens of other overdosing patients continuing to attend southern Alberta emergency may have also ingested the compound, which is five times more toxic than the more common ecstasy compound, MDMA. "It's very possible that these individuals would be treated and released without any confirmation," he said. Users who ingest PMMA experience effects slower than they would with MDMA, leading some to increase their dosage. Friends of some Calgary victims of the drug reported them taking numerous tablets and then experiencing a rapid onset of negative side-effects. This led groups like the Central Alberta AIDS Network Society to preach harm-reduction messages like controlling ecstasy doses, realizing that the drug will likely never be fully rooted out. "This is a new formulation of ecstasy," said executive director Jennifer Vanderschaeghe. "This isn't a temporary thing." - ------------------------------------------- [sidebar] On the decline Overall, emergency department visits related to psychoactive drug agents or stimulants - PMMA, MDMA, bath salts, methamphetamines and others - are down in the Calgary Health Region this year. The fourth quarter of 2011, at the height of Calgary's PMMA outbreak, saw 62 overdose patients treated. That compares with 36 during the first quarter of 2012. A police spokesperson confirmed investigators have not made any PMMA ecstasy busts in recent months - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom