A white pressed pill expected to contain only diazepam was instead found to contain clonazepam, tapentadol, donepezil and denatonium as well as diazepam.

What does this mean? Diazepam and clonazepam are both benzodiazepines. Benzos are drugs typically used to sedate and treat anxiety, with diazepam having a shorter duration than clonazepam, which is more potent. Tapentadol is a synthetic opioid analgesic.

Donepezil is a drug typically used to treat memory loss and confusion in people who have Alzheimer’s disease.

Denatonium is a bitter chemical compound typically used as a deterrent to accidental ingestion (like cleaning supplies). It’s been observed in QLD in benzo samples.

Effects of consuming a combination of drugs like the ones found in the sample can be serious – with benzos and tapentadol having a major drug interaction. Overdose risks can include respiratory depression, causing death. Because of this, you should wait longer intervals before using another depressant – including alcohol – (over 72hrs in some cases) to reducee the risk of an overdose.

Your risk of harm is significantly increased when consuming a combination of depressants (like tapentadol or other opioids) with benzos.

Reducing the harm

Test your stuff! A global trend is that unregulated or counterfeit pharmaceuticals, such as benzodiazepines, are becoming more common and very convincing, making them hard to distinguish from legitimate pharmaceutical products. Often these counterfeit products contain new psychoactive substances – drastically raising the risks for users.

Always test it before you take it

Don’t mix it with alcohol or other depressants. Remember, some benzos can hav effects that last multiple days after use.

Naloxone can only reverse the effects of opioids (like tapentadol), but not benzos or stimulants. The unexpected combination of substances in this sample is a reminder to never use alone and keep naloxone on hand. You can overdose on opioids unexpectedly.

Start low, go slow. Try a test dose first and never use alone.

Be alert for signs of an overdose. Think someone has overdosed? Call 000 for an ambulance immediately.