Fentanyl Overdose Symptoms: RX for a Deadly Overdose

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported that hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills cut with fentanyl have already infiltrated the United States drug market and the problem is anticipated to get worse. These counterfeit pills are manufactured with pharmacy-grade machines that make them nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. First synthesized in 1959, fentanyl is a powerful opioid analgesic that can be lethal in very small doses. It’s similar to morphine but is up to 50-to-100 times more powerful. Due to its potency, even a few extra grains of fentanyl can mean the difference between life or death.

4.3 million people in the United States admitted to having used painkillers for non-medical purposes in 2014, and that number has only grown. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 80 people died every day in 2014 from opioid overdose and other drugs, with fentanyl playing a large role in those overdose deaths.

Another surge in fentanyl use took place in the Midwest in 2006. The drug was mixed with heroin to create a more potent high, which resulted in more than 1,000 drug overdose deaths. Most of those overdoses were accounted for by heroin users who were unfamiliar with fentanyl and weren’t even aware that they were putting it into their bodies. Aside from the Midwest, the Northeast was also a heavily affected area during that time, particularly states such as Delaware, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. [3]

Illicitly manufactured fentanyl

Due to the high potency and low price of fentanyl, the drug has been making its way into a wide variety of knockoff illicit drugs. Common drugs involved the anxiety medication Xanax and the painkiller Norco. Between January and April of 2016, there were 19 deadly overdoses from pills laced with fentanyl, nine in Florida from counterfeit Xanax pills and 10 in Sacramento, CA, from counterfeit Norco pills. Some other drug variations of fentanyl-laced pills are marketed as knockoff Oxycodone, a powerful painkiller, but nowhere near as potent as fentanyl, resulting in further fentanyl overdose.

Many customers of the illegal drug trade do not participate in it by choice but rather by necessity. In an attempt to crackdown on high synthetic opioids use across the country, which often leads to addiction followed by illegal opioid use, the government has set strict federal regulations on prescribing powerful painkillers. Tragically, these regulations are too austere and often prevent patients who have a justified claim to refill their prescription opioids from doing so. This only provides the counterfeit prescription pill and illicit drugs market with more customers, achieving the opposite of the government’s intended effect.

Even worse, the counterfeit synthetic opioid pills sold on the street vastly differ from the pharmaceutical grade pills that legitimate patients are accustomed to, which only serves to exacerbate the fentanyl-induced public health crisis.

How does fentanyl affect the brain?

Fentanyl works by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, and triggers the release of dopamine, which reduces the perception of pain. Mind-altering drugs may slow down or speed up the central nervous system and autonomic functions necessary for living, such as blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and body temperature.

High doses of fentanyl can cause life-threatening respiratory depression and cardiac arrest. Fentanyl can also cause euphoria, leading to drug abuse and addiction.

Due to the nature of the illegal drug market, dealers will put anything in their pills. mixing multiple doses of other drugs in one to increase their profit margins. Unfortunately, this almost always results in counterfeit pills being even more dangerous to those who take them.

In many cases, buyers are not aware that the pills they are taking are laced with fentanyl. Even if they were aware, many might choose to continue taking them due to there being no other recourse to deal with their severe, chronic pain. Additionally, fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin, meaning that many people are not only unwittingly dosing themselves with fentanyl, they are also doing so unwillingly through transdermal fentanyl.

Fentanyl’s potency as a painkiller makes it very cheap so its illegal sale is extremely profitable. The DEA estimates that 666,666 pills can be made per kilogram, and that the counterfeit pills are being sold for $10 or $20 a pop. Do the math – these kinds of profits are irresistible to those with the means to manufacture fentanyl-laced pills, which is a huge factor to fentanyl popping up in all types of counterfeit prescription medication. [3]

The profit margin for selling fentanyl is significantly higher than that of heroin. Due to the strength of fentanyl, drug dealers can make between $1-2 million from a single kilogram of fentanyl whereas they only make about $80,000 from a kilogram of heroin. [4]

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine, but is 50 to 100 times more potent. A small amount of fentanyl can cause a fatal overdose, so watch closely for signs of an overdose and act quickly!

Symptoms of a fentanyl overdose include:

• Severe drowsiness
• Slow and shallow breathing
• Slow heartbeat
• Cold, clammy skin
• Pale face
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of consciousness
• Feeling faint, dizzy or confused leading to strange behavior
• Unresponsiveness

Many fatal overdoses thought to be from heroin have actually been from fentanyl. Even a small dose of fentanyl, such as 2 milligrams, can be lethal depending on how tolerant someone is and their body size. Call 911 immediately, if you suspect that someone has overdosed on fentanyl.

A person exhibiting the symptoms of overdose should get immediate medical attention. If they do not, they may get hypoxia which may lead to coma. Call 911 if you are unsure how to administer treatment.

One treatment option is to administer naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. Another option is to pump the person’s stomach to remove any fentanyl that may have been swallowed.

In some cases, it may be necessary to provide life support, such as ventilation or CPR, until the effects of the fentanyl wear off.