Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used for treating severe pain, typically prescribed to advanced cancer patients. It is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. Like other addictive prescription drugs that are legitimately prescribed, it can easily become abused. It is sometimes used to cut heroin and cocaine, without the user’s knowledge, making those substances more volatile. Fentanyl is extremely dangerous, and in the current opioid overdose epidemic fentanyl is responsible for over half of those deaths.

According to the CDC, synthetic opioids (like fentanyl) are the primary driver of overdose deaths in the United States. In the past year alone:

• Overdose deaths involving opioids rose 38%
• Overdose deaths involving fentanyl rose 56% percent and appear to be the primary driver of the increase in total drug overdose deaths.

Some of the symptoms of fentanyl use can be:

• rapid heartbeat
• pounding in the ears
• chest tightness
• mood changes
• poor balance
• hallucinations
• abnormal thoughts