Fentanyl
Fentanyl is a very powerful opioid drug that has long been used in medical procedures.
Medical fentanyl is sometimes diverted and sold illegally. It can take the form of skin patches, injectable liquids or slow-release lozenges. Just two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal for a person not accustomed to using opioids.
Illegal fentanyl is found as a white powder or in fake pills that look like other medications. Fentanyl is sometimes mixed with other illegal drugs, such as heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine. Drug traffickers often press fentanyl into counterfeit pills, any one of which could contain a deadly dose of fentanyl.
In recent years, fentanyl manufactured by criminals has flooded the market, causing tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year.
Street Names:
- Apache
- China Girl
- Dance Fever
- Drop Dead
- Fetty
- Jackpot
- Lethal Injection
- Murder 8
- Poison
- Tango & Cash
Short‑Term Effects:
Users experience sedation, confusion, dizziness, nausea, tiny pupils, vomiting and constipation. The drug severely affects the lungs, slowing breathing, which can lead to death if too much of the drug is consumed.
Long‑Term Effects:
Those who inject fentanyl can suffer collapsed veins or bacterial infections of the skin and heart. Fentanyl misuse strains the heart and can cause congestive heart failure and irregular heartbeat. Of course, the worst long-term effects are addiction and a very real risk of overdose death.
I went down to her room and opened up the door and I found her. She was standing upright, but she was bent over, down with her head on the couch arm and a pile of vomit. When I picked her up, her eyes were open, and I knew she was dead.” —Mother
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