Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s taken thousands of Americans lives. And with deaths related to the drug rising in the U.S., families are concerned about how they can protect themselves from addiction, unintentional ingestion and overdose.
The FDA-approved prescription drug was originally developed in 1959. It was introduced to the public in the 1960s as a pain-relieving intravenous anesthetic, according to the Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
"[Fentanyl] is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic," the DEA reports.
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Regulated pharmaceutical companies manufacture fentanyl as lozenges, tablets, mouth or nose sprays, patches and injections.
However, illegal drugmakers produce fentanyl as a powder, candy, eye drop liquid and nasal spray, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
In some cases, these illegal fentanyl drugmakers create counterfeit pills that resemble a name-brand prescription drug — or, they mix fentanyl with another narcotic, which can have fatal consequences.
Tens of thousands of Americans have died from synthetic opioid overdoses and fentanyl is a primary cause, according to the NIDA.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics estimates there were 107,622 drug overdose deaths in 2021.
Some 71,238 of those deaths were related to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
In 2020, there were an estimated 57,834 synthetic opioid deaths.
Nicholas Mathews, a substance abuse and recovery expert who founded Stillwater Behavioral Health in Santa Barbara, told Fox News Digital that fentanyl is widely distributed.
"[Fentanyl is] everywhere, and it’s the strongest thing on the market," Matthews said. "And with a thing like tolerance, people can get acclimated to a certain dose of a certain drug and are always looking for the next most powerful thing."
Alexander Bentley, chairman and CEO of Remedy Wellbeing, an international mental health and rehabilitation facility that has locations in NYC and cities abroad, told Fox News Digital that illegal fentanyl makers don’t have a hard time masquerading the drug as something else.
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"Counterfeit prescription medications are made, often on an industrial level, by a pill press or capsule filling machine," he said.
"Both are not difficult to acquire."
"The person filling these machines is not doing so in a controlled, measured environment," Bentley continued.
"They're maximizing their profits but cutting the drugs with fentanyl."
Deni Carise, Ph.D., the chief science officer at Recovery Centers of America, told Fox News Digital that families might have prescribed substances that could lead to potential fentanyl use.
"Kids often start by taking prescription opioids that they find in the parents' or friends' parents' medicine cabinet. That’s why it’s so important to keep medicine chests locked," Carise said. "They get fentanyl in several ways, often not knowing they are taking fentanyl."
Carise said it’s not uncommon for young recreational drug users to buy fentanyl-laced opioid pills or heroin from a street dealer.
She continued, "They seek fentanyl when pills or heroin no longer work in keeping them from going into withdrawal."
Dr. William Goldman, the medical director of the Addiction Services Program at the Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio, told Fox News Digital that he hasn’t heard of any cases of legitimate over-the-counter medications being laced with fentanyl.
"[People should] not use a bottle that appears to have been tampered with," Goldman said.
"Typically, the medications of concern are those that have addictive properties such as opioids and benzodiazepines," he continued. "In general, a safe rule is to not use other people's prescriptions."
Goldman reiterated that patients should only use medications that are prescribed to them and dispensed by a pharmacy.
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Dr. Thomas Britton, the CEO of American Addiction Centers, told Fox News Digital that all prescription drugs are supervised by the FDA.
"[The FDA] adheres to strict tracking guidelines that would make it difficult for counterfeit drugs to show up in pharmacies," Britton said.
"Regardless of that fact, anybody who is prescribed a narcotic should be aware of the high addictive potential of these medications," Britton also said.
"They should work with their physician to be on the lowest effective dose possible or find alternative medications as appropriate."
Dr. Matthew Ruble, the chief medical officer at Discovery Behavioral Health — a California-based mental health facility that offers substance abuse treatment — told Fox News Digital that naloxone (sometimes sold under the brand name Narcan) is a life-saving medication that people should know about.
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"Naloxone works to block or reverse the effects of opiates, including fentanyl," Ruble said. "It can be obtained without a prescription in most if not all states from most pharmacies. It can be administered by injection or nasal spray."
Signs of an opioid overdose include unconscious, small pupils, slow or shallow breathing, vomiting, inability to speak, faint heartbeat, limp limbs, pale skin and purple lips and fingernails, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or drug addiction, please contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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