Synthetic Opioids

What are synthetic Opioids?

Synthetic opioids are lab-created and act on the same targets in the brain as natural opioids to produce a pain relief effect.

Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are the most common due to their faster and lower production costs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 56,000 deaths involving synthetic opioids occurred in the United States in 2020, which is more deaths than from any other type of opioid.

Synthetic opioid-involved death rates increased by 56% from 2019 to 2020.

0%
Of the opioid overdose deaths in 2020 involved synthetic opioids.

According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi’s overdose deaths linked to fentanyl have more than doubled,  an increase of 125%, just from 2019 to 2020.

With a spike in drug overdose deaths, the Drug Enforcement Administration is warning of counterfeit prescription pills that could be deadly. These pills are being manufactured by drug traffickers and marketed as prescription medications like Adderall, Oxycodone, and Xanax.

Counterfeit pills are nearly identical to actual prescription medications. While similar in appearance, the ingredients these medications contain couldn’t be more different.

These counterfeit pills may contain deadly amounts of fentanyl or methamphetamine.

CAN YOU SPOT THE DIFFERENCE?

Think you can spot the difference in these pictures of Adderall, Oxycodone, and Xanax? Hover over the image to see if you correctly guessed which ones are authentic and which ones are counterfeit.

Oxycodone

Counterfeit Oxycodone M30 tablets Front and Back containing fentanyl

Source: DEA.gov

Authentic Oxycodone M30 tablets Front and Back

Source: DEA.gov

Xanax

Counterfeit Xanax
Front and Back

Source: DEA.gov

Authentic Xanax
Front and Back

Source: DEA.gov

Adderrall

Authentic Adderall
Front and Back

Source: DEA.gov

Counterfeit Adderall
Front and Back

Source: DEA.gov

Since even experts struggle to differentiate fake pills from real pills, the best way to prevent an overdose is to avoid ANY pills that you don’t have a prescription for. This means taking your friends’ medications or purchasing medication online without a prescription.

Next time you consider taking medication that wasn’t prescribed to you by a licensed medical professional– remember one pill could be deadly.

Types of Synthetic Opioids

Carfentanil

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. It was created as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals.

Carfentanil is not meant for human consumption.

Carfentanil is so powerful it poses a significant threat to first responders and law enforcement personnel who touch it by accident. In addition, people can overdose on carfentanil quickly. Multiple doses of the anti-overdose drug Narcan may not be effective.

Fentanyl

Fentanyl is perhaps the most well-known of synthetic opioids since it has been extensively researched and is approved for medical use.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is approximately 50 – 100 times more potent than morphine, and 30 – 50 times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl is sweeping the U.S. taking lives and destroying families as it continues.

A lethal amount of fentanyl is about two milligrams- equivalent in size to a few grains of salt.

Penny

Comparison of a U.S. penny to a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl

Fentanyl Analogs

Fentanyl analogs have been designed to mimic fentanyl but have a slightly different chemical structure so they may have different effects. Following the discovery of fentanyl, some of its analogs were developed and brought to market for medical use, but recently many related compounds have been appearing on the illicit market that have no prior use in medicine.

Illicitly manufactured fentanyls

Illicitly manufactured fentanyls are synthetic opioids parallel that of heroin and prescription opioids. Many of these illicitly produced synthetic opioids are more potent than morphine and heroin giving the potential to result in a fatal overdose.

FACTS ABOUT ILLICITLY MANUFACTURED FENTANYL

Illicitly manufactured fentanyls and synthetic opioids have been found in counterfeit pressed pills sold as prescription opioids or benzodiazepines, and in trace amounts in batches of other drug supplies.

With a spike in drug overdose deaths, the Drug Enforcement Administration is warning of counterfeit prescription pills that could be deadly. These pills are being manufactured by drug traffickers and marketed as prescription medications like Adderall, Oxycodone, and Xanax.

Counterfeit pills are nearly identical to actual prescription medications. While similar in appearance, the ingredients these medications contain couldn’t be more different.

These counterfeit pills may contain deadly amounts of fentanyl or methamphetamine.

What are their overdose effects?

Overdose effects of illicitly produced synthetic opioids are similar to other opioids. These effects may include stupor, changes in pupillary size, cold and clammy skin, cyanosis, coma and respiratory failure leading to death. The presence of triad of symptoms such as coma, pinpoint pupils and respiratory depression are strongly suggestive of opioid poisoning.