With Montreal festival season in full swing, doctors are warning festival goers about the dangers of taking drugs.
No one has died from a drug overdose at a Montreal festival, but there have been deaths in other cities. People are known to take them at events like Osheaga, IleSoniq, Piknic Electronik and many others.
Emergency room doctors say they see more people affected by drugs during music festivals than any other time and those who overdose often end up at the city's emergency departments like the Montreal General and the Glen.
Dr. Sophie Gosselin, a toxicology expert, and someone who treats people who have been affected by drugs says she consistently sees people who overdose.
“It's not insignificant,” said Dr. Gosselin. “Either they're taking sort of downers, which can be opioids or Ketamine or GHB, and so they can range from being drowsy to completely comatose.”
Or symptoms could be the complete opposite.
“The other one is the high, where you dance all night long so that can be cocaine, amphetamine, ecstasy, speed and so these people come in very agitated with fast heart rate and sometimes very high body temperature,” said Gosselin.
She says regardless of symptoms, taking any kind of drug could have potentially fatal consequences.
“Somebody can definitely die from having abnormally high body temperatures. Somebody can have a heart attack, a stroke, somebody can bleed into their head depending on how high the blood pressure and body temperature reach,” said Gosselin.
She says it’s important to know where the medical tent is at each site so that if you need any kind of medical attention, you know where to get it quickly.
She also advises anyone who uses drugs to stay hydrated, eat, take breaks and ensure they’re not alone.
