Butler County set record for OD deaths in '17, with 4 out of 5 caused by fentanyl and its cousins

The hugely potent synthetic opiate fentanyl and its cousins caused a 21 percent jump in fatal overdoses in Butler County for 2017.

More than 80 percent of last year's 232 overdose deaths in Butler County were linked to illegal fentanyl and its derivatives. The killer drugs, opioids themselves, are generally manufactured sloppily in "bucket" factories overseas and can be 10 percent to 50 percent more potent than heroin.

Fatal overdoses accounted for 4 out of 5 accidental deaths in the county, which were down 7 percent from 2016.

Fatal overdoses have been rising in Butler County since 2012, said Dr. Lisa Mannix, the Butler County coroner, who announced the 2017 count for her county Tuesday.

What's happening in Butler County mirrors a national shift in overdoses linked to the prescription painkiller and heroin epidemic. 

The coroner also noted a fourfold increase in overdose deaths that tested positive for methamphetamine, although fentanyl was noted in these deaths, as well, Mannix said. Meth was linked to 46 deaths – or 1 out of every 5 fatal overdoses in the county.

“The proliferation of fentanyl analogs and increase in methamphetamine have turned an already bad situation into something far worse," Mannix said.

Meth use has been rising in region as a whole, with Northern Kentucky experiencing a significant surge last year.

"More than half the cases we are working are meth trafficking," Chris Conners, director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force, said in December.

See Enquirer story: Meth cases surge

Like public officials in other communities, Mannix expressed hope that a multiagency, communitywide approach to ending the opioid epidemic continues.

The coroner's office, health department and addiction services groups in Butler County urged the continued use of the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone and steering people into addiction treatment that includes medication.