"Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic (lab-made) opioid that is FDA-approved to treat severe pain related to surgery or complex pain conditions. Over the past decade, fentanyl that is made and distributed illegally (sometimes called “illicitly manufactured fentanyl”) and other illegally made synthetic opioids have been increasingly found in the drug supply. During this time, fentanyl and related substances have contributed to a dramatic rise in drug overdose deaths in the United States."
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
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What are Opioids?
Opioids are a class of drugs naturally found in the opium poppy plant. Some opioids are made from the plant directly, and others, like fentanyl, are made in labs by scientists using the same chemical structure. Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are medications prescribed by doctors to treat persistent or severe pain.
Fentanyl is a Schedule II narcotic under the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970.
Common street names:
Apache, China Girl, China Town, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfellas, Great Bear, He-Man, Jackpot, King Ivory, Murder 8, and Tango & Cash
How is it used:
Fentanyl can be injected, snorted/sniffed, smoked, taken orally by pill or tablet, and spiked onto blotter paper. Iillicity produced fentanyl is sold alone in combination with heroin and other substances and has been identified in fake pills, mimicking pharnaceutical drugs such as oxycodone. Fentanyl patches are misused by removing its gel contents.
Effect on the body:
Fentanyl is similar to other commonly used opioid analgesics and produces effects such as relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, and respiratory depression.
Effects of an overdose:
Stupor, changes in pupil size, clammy skin, cyanosis, coma, and respiratory failure leading to death. The presence of a triad of symptoms such as coma, pinpoint pupils, and respiratory depression strongly suggests opioid intoxication.
Drugs that cause similar effects:
Opioids such as morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, methadone, and heroin.
Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration