“I don’t want to die”: a qualitative study of coping strategies to prevent fentanyl-related overdose deaths among people who inject drugs and its implications for harm reduction policies

Original research
by
Abadie, R.

Release Date

2023

Geography

USA

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

Yes

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Yes

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

To document participants’ experiences of injection drug use after the arrival of fentanyl in rural Puerto Rico and the strategies they implemented to manage overdose death risks.

Findings/Key points

Fear of overdose deaths motivated some participants to substitute intravenous drug use for other forms of substance use or to seek MOUD. PWID that continued injection use resorted to conducting “hit tests,” avoiding injecting alone, using naloxone, and employing fentanyl testing strips.

Design/methods

In-depth interviews (n=38)

Keywords

Rural/remote
About PWUD
Harm reduction
Injecting drugs
Mortality