In 2015, news media are carrying stories of overdose deaths around the US that involve fentanyl. Fentanyl is a completely synthetic opiate-like drug used medically for relief of intense pain. Because it is synthetic, the manufacture of the drug does not need to involved opium poppies, agriculture, harvesting or any of the other processes needed for a drug like heroin, cocaine or marijuana. When used medically, it is called Actiq, Fentora or Duragesic, among other brand names. Outside of the operating room, it is usually administered in a patch or lollipop form so there is no way of consuming it too quickly and receiving an overdose.
Fentanyl manufactured for medical use is approximately 50 times stronger than morphine. It’s sometimes used to cut heroin and when it is, the presence of much stronger fentanyl results in overdose deaths. Those using this combination without knowing it can easily die from this stronger mixture unless they know what they are getting and adjust their dose appropriately. In 2006, more than a thousand people across the US died from heroin that had been cut with fentanyl, a cheaper substance.
Like heroin and other opioids, fentanyl is highly addictive if it is used on its own.
Now, There’s a New Fentanyl on the Street
Fentanyl used to be diverted from medical supplies into the illicit market but now there is a new form of the drug on the street. The Drug Enforcement Administration says the new drug is a minutely different one from the fentanyl used in hospitals. You can see from this diagram how close the two formulas are.
Acetyl fentanyl, despite being so similar to the medical drug, is not used medically anywhere in the world. It’s five times more potent than heroin but it doesn’t last as long. It began to show up in 2014 and began also killing people with overdoses. According to the International Business Times website, more than 80 people have died from heroin laced with this relatively new synthetic. The Global Information Network About Drugs reports that illicit fentanyl labs have been found in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Acetyl Fentanyl Increases the Urgency of Finding Rehab
Anyone using illicit opiates or painkillers is in imminent and constant danger of overdose death. This new wave of fentanyl distribution increases the risks even more. The family of any person using opioids should not wait a single moment to find an effective rehab program for that loved one. Acetyl fentanyl mixed with heroin makes it much harder for a person to prevent an overdose.
Don’t believe that your loved one must “hit bottom” before he or she goes to rehab. If that person does not agree to leave drug use and addiction behind, it’s time to call for an interventionist. Narconon can help you find an experienced interventionist to help in your situation. Please don’t wait. Call today: 1-800-775-8750.
