Montreal public health authorities are warning about counterfeit opioid pills that have been linked to several overdoses, including one death.
Health officials say they analyzed a number of white triangular pills with rounded corners that resemble eight-milligram hydromorphone pills that are sold under the brand name Dilaudid.
Officials say the pills look like pharmaceutical tablets but were found to contain synthetic opioids up to 25 times stronger than fentanyl.
The drugs found in the pills include protonitazepyne, N-desethylisotonitazene, and nitazenes, which carry a high risk of overdose for people who unknowingly consume them.
Officials are asking street-drug users to take precautions such as using supervised consumption sites and making sure they do not consume alone.
They say naloxone is available in pharmacies and can be used when a person shows signs of an overdose, which include difficulty breathing, making a gurgling noise or not responding to pain or noise.