CHIBPS

Fentanyl is an extremely addictive synthetic opioid that functions as a painkiller and, when administered properly by medical professionals, it can be used to treat severe pain. Its functions and uses are analogous to other drugs including heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine. However, fentanyl is known to be 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Some of the drug's effects include sensations of euphoria, drowsiness, unconsciousness, confusion, nausea, constipation, and difficulty breathing.

This drug operates by binding to opioid receptors (which are responsible for processing pain, amongst other forms of sensory perception) throughout the body’s nervous system. The continued use of opioids like fentanyl will cause the body and brain to build up a higher and higher tolerance for it over time. As a result, the body demands more of the drug to feel pleasure, which can ultimately lead to addiction.

Fentanyl was developed in 1959 by Dr. Paul Janssen. Its intended medicinal use was as an intravenous surgical analgesic and it was used as such within the decades that followed. Although the drug continues to be legally manufactured in the United States, it is important to note its role in the much larger opioid epidemic that began in the 1990s. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 645,000 people died from both prescription and illegally-made opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2021.

In particular, there are three distinct waves that span the dramatic rise in opioid overdose deaths over the course of the past few decades. The first wave was characterized by the over-prescription of opioids in the 1990s, the second by the increase in heroin-related overdoses beginning in 2010, and the third by the increase in overdoses involving synthetic opioids (like fentanyl) beginning in 2013.

There are two distinct forms of fentanyl, the first being pharmaceutical fentanyl and the second being illegally made fentanyl (IMF). It is relevant to note that both forms are synthetically manufactured.

Pharmaceutical fentanyl can be prescribed by physicians to patients suffering from chronic pain. Specifically, it may be used for cancer patients or as a post-operative treatment.

In regard to illegally made fentanyl, it is typically sold in liquid and powder forms. Powdered fentanyl is commonly distributed in pill forms, sometimes being mixed with other drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. These drugs are referred to as fentanyl-laced drugs and they are extremely dangerous, especially if users are unaware of the contents of a pill they took. Aside from this, liquid fentanyl can be found in nasal sprays, eye drops, and dropped onto blotter paper or small candies.

Pharmaceutical fentanyl can be administered as an injection, a skin patch, or as a small medicinal tablet (like a lozenge) that is dissolved in the mouth.

Illegally made fentanyl is distributed as a powder, pills, eye droppers, nasal sprays, or is dropped onto blotter paper. Thus, it can be snorted, smoked, taken orally, or taken as patches. Additionally, it may be sold individually or mixed with other drugs or opioids.

Due to the fact that fentanyl is extremely potent — even a small amount of it can produce a high — drug dealers mix it with other addictive substances as a cheaper alternative. In particular, when sold as powder or in pill forms, it is commonly mixed with substances like cocaine, heroin, MDMA, and methamphetamine. This is incredibly dangerous because the use of these drugs places users at much higher risk of overdose.

Signs of an opioid overdose include small, constricted pupils, losing consciousness, limpness of the body, choking sounds, slow or limited breathing, and cold or discolored skin.

If you believe someone is overdosing, call 911 immediately and administer naloxone (which is used to treat narcotic overdoses during emergency situations) if it is available to you. Lay the person on their side to avoid choking and try to keep them alert and breathing. Stay with the person overdosing until the ambulance arrives.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Fentanyl Facts. CDC. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic | Opioids. CDC. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/epidemic.html

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021, June 1). Fentanyl DrugFacts. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl

United States Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). Drug Fact Sheet: Fentanyl. DEA.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Fentanyl-2020_0.pdf

United States Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). Fentanyl. DEA.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2024, from https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl