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The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has added 14 more confirmed and/or suspected cases of severe bleeding linked to the recreational use of tainted Spice/K2.
It isn't clear if all of these cases are really new, or if some cases are being reported belatedly.Although 10 counties have seen cases, two distinct areas - Chicago/Cook County and Peoria/Tazewell County - have reported the bulk (85%) of the cases.
Yesterday we learned that at least 9 of the cases have tested positive for brodifacoum, a rat poison, which is similar to the blood thinning drug warfarin, but many times more potent.
Sometimes called Superwarfarin (cite), Vitamin K1 is considered the specific antidote. Assuming it is administered in time.Today's update follows:
Synthetic Cannabinoids
As of April 3, 2018, IDPH has received reports of 70 cases, including two deaths, linked to an outbreak, since March 7, 2018; cases report using synthetic cannabinoid products before suffering from severe bleeding.
***Numbers are provisional and subject to change; IDPH will update the website every weekday at 1:30pm, for the duration of the outbreak***While many of the cases report acquiring the synthetic cannabinoid products in the Chicagoland area, contaminated products could be in counties across the state. Individuals reported obtaining synthetic cannabinoid products (i.e., K2, spice, synthetic marijuana, and legal weed) from convenience stores, dealers, and friends.
If you have purchased any of this product in the past month, do not use it. If you have used any of these products, and start experiencing severe, unexplained bleeding or bruising, please have someone take you to the hospital immediately or call 911. Do not walk or drive yourself. Tell your health care providers about the possible link between your symptoms and synthetic cannabinoid use.
