Illicitly manufactured fentanyl is illegal and can be sold as powder, nasal spray or pills that look like other prescription opioids. Fentanyl can be known by street names such as Apache, China Girl, Dance Fever or Goodfellas. Comparable to fentanyl, fentanyl analogs have similar chemical structure and effects.
Fentanyl And Overdose
When users think they are purchasing heroin and instead actually receive fentanyl, it can often result in overdose deaths.5 According to the CDC, many of these overdose deaths result from illegally manufactured fentanyl. See the impact of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids on drug overdose deaths. Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, has been at the center of the opioid crisis in recent years.
The Opioid Crisis: An Overview
Among the array of illegal products and services available on these hidden marketplaces, one substance has become a growing concern – fentanyl. Another measure is increasing the availability of opioid agonists like methadone and buprenorphine that reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms and cravings, helping people stay in treatment and decrease illicit drug use. Despite the lifesaving track records of these medications, their availability is limited by restrictions on where and how they can be used and inadequate numbers of prescribers. In recent years, there has been a surge in fentanyl-related overdoses.
It was developed as a prescription medicine for treating severe pain, such as pain after surgery. When used as prescribed, it is also very effective in treating cancer pain or other types of severe chronic pain that don’t respond to other pain medicines.1,2,3 Read more about opioids on the NIDA website. Opioids are a class of drugs that include both prescription medicines such as morphine and illegal drugs like heroin. The first is that many dark web markets – though outwardly disassociating themselves from the fentanyl trade – continue to be either a willing or inadvertent intermediary for facilitating the purchase and sale of deadly opioids.
Medical Uses
Effective medications that address cravings and withdrawal symptoms, as well as behavioral treatments, can help people with OUDs. Producers of illicit fentanyl add it to or substitute it for other street drugs to increase profits and the potential for addiction — which keeps their customers coming back for more. Because the drug is less expensive than other opioids, people making it illegally commonly mix it into drugs such as heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamines.
It is also available as a buccal soluble thin film, which can dissolve in the mouth, similar to the sublingual tablets. However, in contrast to other opiates, it is less common to find forms of synthetic drugs such as oral tablets or powders. This article focuses on injectable fentanyl; more detailed coverage of the transdermal formulation is available in the StatPearls specific article on transdermal fentanyl.
5 Shipment Origins By Wholesale And Retail Level Amounts
- At times, fentanyl may also be indicated to treat chronic pain patients who have developed tolerance to opiates.
- There are more than 30 nonpharmaceutical-grade fentanyl analogs circulating on the illicit drug market, many of which cannot be detected on standard urine drug screens.
- Doing so can result in serious legal consequences, including fines and imprisonment.
- The first 3 days are the hardest, with the most severe symptoms.
- This is why it is so important to administer naloxone as soon as possible.
Even if you don’t use opiates, or any drugs at all, you probably know someone who has been affected by addiction and overdose deaths. A 2024 survey from the RAND Corporation reported that more than 42% of adults in the US know someone who has died from an overdose. So even if you don’t have a firsthand connection to this widespread social problem, you probably know someone who does. If you suspect someone is overdosing on fentanyl, call emergency services immediately. If available, administer naloxone, a medication that can rapidly reverse opioid overdose.
Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes
This site was developed by the UW Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute (ADAI). King County worked with Rescue Agency to create Laced & Lethal, a campaign to educate youth about fentanyl, and how to respond to overdose. Fentanyl deaths are rising quickly for young people in WA State. Despite the evidence supporting these measures, however, local politics and funding priorities often limit whether communities are able to give them a try. Bold strategies are needed to interrupt the ever-increasing number of fentanyl-related deaths. Substances can mask or enhance the effects of others making it harder to gauge how intoxicated you are.
- Researchers found online drug sellers can expand rapidly because they are not limited by geography, have low costs and can reach many customers at once without meeting in person.
- Fentanyl test strips can identify the presence of fentanyl in unregulated drugs.
- Other effects can include drowsiness, nausea, confusion, constipation and addiction.
- People who take fentanyl may develop a tolerance to high doses, meaning that more of the drug is needed to achieve the desired effect.
- Initial reports of fentanyl abuse were linked to prescription products, but in recent years, illicit fentanyl has become the most commonly abused form.
What Is A Fentanyl Overdose?
The best way to prevent this is to work with your prescriber to slowly taper the drug (decrease the dose gradually), along with seeking symptomatic relief through activity, nonopioid pain relievers, massage, and rest. From April 2024 to March 2025, the CDC reported 43,000 synthetic opioid deaths, most of which are from fentanyl, down from nearly 70,000 in the previous similar period. Call your doctor if you experience more than four episodes of breakthrough pain per day or if you have new pain or an increased sensitivity to pain during your treatment with fentanyl.
It Is Safe To Respond To Fentanyl Overdose?
In another instance, we have identified on-chain payments between vendor clusters and suppliers of pill presses and dies – equipment needed for manufacturing precursors. This indicates that some vendors are directly involved in the manufacturing and supply, as well as onward distribution. ASAP Market showing a listing of fentanyl, despite supposedly banning the sale of the drug. “China White” is likely to be α-Methylfentany – a powerful fentanyl analog – yet it can be hard to establish its composition as traffickers use a range of chemicals based on what they can source pre-production.
To help reduce the risk of fentanyl abuse, addiction and overdose, the Food and Drug Administration requires fentanyl prescriptions to be closely monitored to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks. Because fentanyl is so potent, a very small dose — the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says just two milligrams — can be lethal. High-potency opioids such as fentanyl, oxycodone (Oxycontin, Roxicodone) and methadone (Methadose, Methadone HCl Intensol) typically have more-serious risks.
Dispose of unneeded lozenges by removing each lozenge from the blister package, holding the lozenge over the toilet, and cutting off the medicine end with wire cutters so that it falls into the toilet. Throw away the remaining handles in a place that is out of the reach of children and pets, and flush the toilet twice when it contains up to five lozenges. Dispose of unneeded tablets by removing them from the packaging and flushing them down the toilet. Throw the remaining fentanyl packaging or cartons into a trash container; do not flush these items down the toilet. Call your pharmacist or the manufacturer if you have questions or need help disposing of unneeded medication.
