Accidental overdoses linked to illegally made fentanyl

by Heather Carroll • Nov 5, 2023 • 98 Views

photo or infographic by Heather Carroll

RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS. Knowing what an opioid overdose looks like could save a life.

What to do if you think someone is overdosing

It may be hard to tell whether a person is high or experiencing an overdose. If you aren’t sure, treat it like an overdose—you could save a life.

Call 911 Immediately.
Administer naloxone, if available.
Try to keep the person awake and breathing.
Lay the person on their side to prevent choking.
Stay with the person until emergency assistance arrives.

info from cdc.gov

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Usually, pharmaceutical fentanyl is used to treat severe pain, such as advanced cancer pain. In recent cases of fentanyl overdoses, it was found that the fentanyl used was illegally made, and being distributed through drug markets for its heroin-like effect. In 2021, there was an 89% increase in fentanyl related deaths in Texas compared to 2020.

Almost 100% of fentanyl overdoses are accidental. Many times in these cases, the victim doesn’t even know that they have ingested the drug; usually because they ingested another illegal drug that was unknowingly laced with the substance. It’s becoming more and more common for drugs to be laced with deadly levels of fentanyl, and it’s practically impossible to tell. You can’t see, taste, or smell that the drug may possibly be present.

One of the biggest dangers of this drug is that very small amounts can be lethal. Just 2 milligrams of the substance (equivalent to 5-10 grains of table salt) could kill you. This makes it very easy for criminal drug networks to create laced drugs and mass-produce fake pills to sell to unknowing people. It’s becoming increasingly common for fake prescription pills posing as drugs like xanax or adderall to contain deadly doses of fentanyl.

Over a quarter of a million Americans have died from a fentanyl overdose since 2018. That is approximately 250,000 deaths caused by one drug. There are a few things we can do to prevent future fentanyl overdoses, such as expand prevention education and raise awareness surrounding treatments for substance use disorders. If you know of any individuals at high risk of overdose, intervene early and take a minute to talk to them about how this could be a danger to them.

In order to stay safe, you should avoid any sort of illegal drug overall. Fentanyl has become one of the leading causes of death for Americans aged 18-45, and the most efficient way we can prevent this is by staying away from the drug and other drugs that have the risk of being laced as much as possible. Drugs like Fentanyl are not something worth losing your life over.