New York teen dies of fentanyl overdose after taking a single fake Percocet

A 19-year-old freshman from New York City died of a fentanyl overdose after taking a single pill she thought was Percocet, according to her grieving family.

Paige Gibbons, of Pittsford, was attending Hobart and William Smith Colleges with dreams of becoming a doctor when she and a friend took what they were told was a Percocet pill in November 2022.

“She was at a friend's house, the parents were home, her and her friend were going to take a Percocet, which she thought was a Percocet,” Paige's father, David Gibbons, said in an interview with the Bureau of Services. and Substance Abuse Supports of New York. (OASA).

“Unbeknownst to them, it wasn’t Percocet, it was 100 percent fentanyl,” he said.

Hours later, a police officer knocked on the Gibbons' front door and told them their daughter had died of an overdose.

“It was the loudest scream I've heard in my life,” David recalled of his wife's reaction to the news. “I thought it was an intruder or something, because why was she screaming?”

Paige was with two friends when she took the pill, which one of them had purchased through social media. One friend also almost died while the other ultimately decided not to take it.

“Maybe she trusted her friend or her friend, someone she knew,” said Paige's mother, Kate. “We just saw her as a little naive in that regard. Unfortunately, it cost him his life.

Paige's parents said their daughter was not a frequent drug user, which they confirmed with her friends.

“One mistake was obviously Paige's worst mistake of her entire life,” David said. “We don’t want her to be judged for the worst mistake she made.”

Paige, a graduate of Our Lady of Mercy High School in Rochester, had planned to become a doctor.

Now, 18 months after his death, his family is sharing their own horror story in the hope they can save others from the same fate.

Paige's story will be one of many stories featured in an OASAS educational film titled “Addiction: The Next Step” exploring the Empire State's rampant fentanyl epidemic.

“I can't believe we're still hearing about people, you know, going through the exact same situation,” Kate said. “I want to shout it from the mountaintops and make sure everyone knows: expect this to happen to you; expect that you will die if you try this.

“It doesn’t discriminate,” David added. “Socioeconomically, race, religion. You take a pill and you might die that night.

Some 6,300 New Yorkers died from fentanyl overdoses in 2023, and 74,702 died nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This opioid can be deadly even in trace amounts and is 50 times more potent than heroin.

The Drug Enforcement Agency set a record in 2023 by seizing 79.5 million fentanyl pills, more than 20 million pills more than the total amount seized in 2022.

Lab tests indicated that seven out of 10 pills seized by the agency contained a lethal dose of fentanyl, the DEA said, and it's not limited to opioids.

The agency said high school and college students seeking to purchase “study drugs” like Adderall online have also been exposed to fentanyl, Fox News reported.

While fewer teens than ever are abusing drugs, teen overdoses are on the rise due to the deadly effects of fentanyl, said Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, OASAS coordinator.

“We know from the internet and social media that kids can get what they think are real pills, but who knows where they are made, where they come from and what's in them? ” she says. “Fentanyl is found in these pills and it can be deadly. »