By Elizabeth Dinan

Portsmouth Herald

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The Seacoast recovery community has learned of several recent drug deaths, attributed to fentanyl in most street drugs, said Ryan Fowler, an overdose survivor now offering free fentanyl test strips, through his role at the Safe Harbor Recovery Center.

Fowler said he learned of two overdose deaths that occurred over the weekend, then on Monday heard one of his clients died of an overdose last month. He said the deaths are attributed to fentanyl now being found in not just heroin, but also "severely tainted" cocaine, methamphetamine and most street drugs.

The Seacoast recovery community has learned of several recent drug deaths, attributed to fentanyl in most street drugs. (Photo/AP)

"It's really the nature of the market right now," he warned, attributing the fentanyl-tainted drugs to a "crackdown on prescription drugs and heroin" and the continued demand for pain relief by users.

"Sometimes it's physical pain," he said. "Sometimes it's emotional."

Fowler said the recent deaths he heard occurred over the weekend were in Strafford County, adding, "It's all Seacoast." Officials at Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester warned in late October there were 28 suspected non-fatal overdose cases at the hospital during a two-week period. Portsmouth's public police log noted that on Saturday someone reported feeling ill after cocaine use.

Safe Harbor has been offering the opioid-reversal drug Narcan for free and with no questions asked. Fowler said he obtained some fentanyl test strips in New York and was giving them to friends who use drugs so they can test for the presence of fentanyl, before using it. After hearing of the weekend deaths, he said, he decided to "let people know we have them."

Safe Harbor on Monday tweeted, "We encourage anyone to come into the center for free fentanyl test strips and Narcan. Free of charge, no questions asked."

We at Safe Harbor have lost several loved ones to overdoses recently. Fentanyl has made it's way into most of the drug supply. We encourage anyone to come into the center for free fentanyl test strips and Narcan. Free of charge, no questions asked. — Safe Harbor Recovery (@SafeHarborNH) November 5, 2018

Fowler said users take a small amount of whatever substance they're thinking of using, mix it with a small amount of water and dip the test strip into it. If two lines appear, the substance is negative for fentanyl. If one line appears, he said, it's positive.

Fowler said the best case scenario for someone who gets a positive fentanyl reading is "to not use that material." If someone plans to use it anyway, he said, there are other "harm-reduction" methods that can be employed, like making sure to also have Narcan nearby, and/or not using alone.

Fowler said he has 100 of the test strips and a source for more. The strips and Narcan can be picked up at Safe Harbor Recovery Center, at 865 Islington St., in Portsmouth.

He advised that Narcan, test strips, clean syringes and sharps containers can also be obtained at no cost and by mail through nextdistro.org.

In March, Fowler, 28, publicly thanked Hampton firefighters for reviving him three times from overdoses. He's since spoken to firefighter groups, offering the perspective of people with addiction, who firefighters are increasingly called to assist.

"Now I'm using all my experiences, no matter how horrible, to help others," Fowler said earlier this year, "and it's been a really cool experience."

Copyright 2018 Portsmouth Herald