What Drug Is Taking More Lives From Overdoses?

Drug overdoses are on the rise, and it is taking more lives than ever before. The majority of these cases involve opioids like heroin and fentanyl, but there is a new drug showing up in more and more reports: carfentanil. Carfentanil is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl; it can cause death with just one dose. We will be exploring what you need to know about this deadly substance so you can stay safe while using drugs.

One of the major concerns with drug overdoses is that they are increasing at a staggering rate. The CDC reports 70,237 deaths due to overdose in 2017 alone; this has doubled since 2016 when it was 38,329 cases. In addition to opioid overdoses, cocaine and benzodiazepines also saw an increase last year.

How Deadly Is Carfentanil?

Carfentanil is a very potent opioid that was developed in the 1970s to sedate large animals. Veterinarians use it on elephants, tigers, and other wild animals for tranquilization before surgery or euthanasia. When it comes to humans, carfentanil is just as dangerous for us too.

Just a few granules of this substance can be deadly, and it’s 100 times stronger than fentanyl, which is already highly toxic. It only takes one dose to cause death in humans if it enters the body through inhalation or skin contact.

This drug has been used on unsuspecting victims before; there have been numerous reports of criminals adding carfentanil powder to heroin batches, so their customers are unaware they are using such strong drugs. Because dealers want more money selling these substances rather than less potent ones like cocaine or methamphetamines, they do not care about the consequences and mix them with opioids without warning you first. When people use opioids like heroin, thinking that nothing could be stronger than it, they are in for a big surprise when carfentanil enters the picture.

How Deadly Is fentanyl?

In addition to carfentanil, fentanyl is another very dangerous opioid. It was initially used as a painkiller during surgeries and for other medical reasons but became popular on the streets because it’s so potent that dealers can mix it with heroin or cocaine without reducing their profits too much. Fentanyl has been responsible for many overdose deaths throughout North America in recent years; however, this drug also comes in different forms, making it even more lethal than you would expect.
There are four kinds of fentanyl:

  • Lozenge: Lozenges are small tablets that dissolve in your mouth, making them easy to take without even realizing what they are. Fentanyl is typically used for cancer patients who have extreme pain and need something stronger than morphine or oxycodone. When addicts on the streets abuse this drug, it can be hazardous because their bodies aren’t accustomed to taking such a powerful opioid.
  • Oral tablet: Oral tablets are a lot like lozenges, except they can be swallowed rather than dissolved in your mouth. When addicts on the streets abuse fentanyl, it’s often crushed and pressed into pills that mimic pharmaceutical opioids such as oxycodone or hydrocodone. Several reports have surfaced where people were selling fake opioid medications while containing deadly doses of fentanyl; this had caused many deaths across North America due to unsuspecting users ingesting these drugs thinking they would get their desired high from them when the opposite was true.
  • Oral spray: Oral sprays are used for medical purposes, but fentanyl addicts have been known to misuse them as well by spraying the contents under their tongues. This is a dangerous method because it allows fentanyl to be rapidly absorbed through your mucus membranes rather than passing through your stomach first, which takes longer. When you spray this drug sublingually, its effects can be felt almost immediately, making overdose much easier if you take too much of it.
  • Powder: Fentanyl powder has become increasingly popular on the streets in North America due to how potent and profitable it is compared to other opioids like heroin or oxycodone. It comes in different colors ranging from white/pale yellow to dark brown; some dealers will even mix it with other drugs like cocaine. When fentanyl powder is snorted or injected, the effects are felt almost immediately. They can cause an overdose in as little as a few minutes after ingesting them – this makes it so dangerous for addicts because they could easily take too much of it before even realizing what’s going on.

Conclusion

Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous opioid drug that can be deadly even in very small doses. Ingesting this substance without knowing what it’s mixed with, whether you ingest it orally or by snorting its powder form, can lead to overdose and death within minutes of taking the first dose – addicts have been known to take a few hits from their fentanyl-laced crack pipe or heroin syringe only to drop dead before they could get more drugs into their system. As mentioned previously, adding carfentanil to your typical batch of opioids will make them much stronger and increases the chances of overdosing on them significantly. If you accidentally use one such mixture, you think nothing could be worse than regular street drugs. Contact us at 772-266-5320.

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