Where to Buy Fentanyl
If you or someone you know is using fentanyl, be aware of the serious side effects that can include extreme sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, slowed breathing and death. Seek emergency medical care if you experience these symptoms.
Test strips can help protect your family from opioid overdoses. They are inexpensive and available online, through harm reduction and needle exchange programs and some dollar stores.
What is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is an opioid pain medication that works by changing the way your brain and body respond to pain. It is very powerful and can be dangerous if not used properly. It is also extremely addictive and can cause life-threatening breathing problems if you take too much. It can also cause drowsiness, which makes it unsafe to drive or operate machinery.
The best way to use fentanyl is as directed by your doctor. If you are taking it for chronic pain, your doctor may prescribe a low dose that can be increased over time. If you are taking it for anxiety or depression, your doctor may give you a higher dose to start with. It’s important to follow your doctor’s instructions exactly and never take a larger dose or take it more often than prescribed.
Those who misuse fentanyl are at especially high risk of overdose and death, since it’s so potent. Many times, it’s mixed or “cut” with other drugs like heroin to make them stronger. It can also be found in “paper trips” which are thin pieces of cardboard impregnated with fentanyl and used to get high. Illicit fentanyl is often sold on the dark web or through online retailers where people can purchase it anonymously and easily.
Fentanyl can be taken by mouth, through a patch on the skin, or as a lozenge (Actiq). There are several different types of fentanyl products, each with its own strengths and dosages. When you are prescribed fentanyl, your doctor will explain how to correctly use it and will teach you to recognize potential side effects, including serious breathing problems, extreme sleepiness, or slowed or difficult breathing. Your doctor will probably advise you to avoid alcohol and other sedatives while on fentanyl.
It’s important to keep fentanyl out of the reach of children and anyone who has not been prescribed it. If you are using the lozenges, ask your doctor about obtaining a kit from the manufacturer that contains child safety locks and supplies for disposal of partially used lozenges. Even a single pill can contain enough of the medication to cause serious harm or death, so it’s vital to keep it away from others.
Why is Fentanyl being added to street drugs?
Drug dealers are adding fentanyl to street drugs to increase their potency and boost profits. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is so strong that just a few milligrams can kill. Fentanyl is typically sold alone as a white powder but can also be mixed with other substances such as marijuana, cocaine and counterfeit (fake) prescription pills to make them more effective and cheaper to produce. Fentanyl is a significant cause of the dramatic rise in US overdose deaths, killing more people than heroin and cocaine combined.
Illicit fentanyl is primarily manufactured in China, Mexico and India, then shipped to the United States as either a powder or in pressed pill form. The fentanyl is then used to cut other illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines. It is also commonly added to counterfeit prescription pills, making them more potent and resulting in a higher profit margin for the drug dealer. The DEA has found that a majority of counterfeit pills tested contain fentanyl.
The fentanyl is often added to other drugs without the buyer’s knowledge, increasing the risk of an overdose. When used with other central nervous system depressants such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, it can be extremely dangerous and lead to overdose and death in a very short period of time.
Once someone takes a dose of fentanyl, it can rapidly build up in their body and overwhelm the opioid receptors in their brain. This results in lessened sensations of pain and a desire to take more of the drug. Over time, the body becomes dependent on fentanyl and needs it to function normally. The drug is incredibly addictive and can lead to a severe physical withdrawal if stopped suddenly.
Illicit fentanyl and other fentanyl-related substances are increasingly being sold by online retailers, on social media and through friends. This increased accessibility to these illegal drugs is putting children and teens at risk of misusing them, as well as increasing overdose rates in this age group.
How is Fentanyl being added to street drugs?
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid pain reliever that can be up to 100 times more potent than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed by doctors for treating severe pain, such as after surgery or advanced-stage cancer. It is sold in the form of transdermal patches and lozenges, but it can also be diverted from legitimate prescriptions, counterfeited, or illegally manufactured. The vast majority of fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths in the United States are linked to illicitly manufactured fentanyl, which is often mixed with other drugs for sale on the black market. Drug dealers mix fentanyl into street drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA (ecstasy/molly) to increase their potency and profitability. Fentanyl is so potent that even a very small amount can be lethal. The DEA warns that just 2 mg of fentanyl is enough to kill an adult, and even less can cause overdose symptoms such as a life-threatening respiratory depression.
Illegally manufactured fentanyl is smuggled into the United States in powder or pill form, and can be shipped through mail or carried by individuals entering the country illegally at ports of entry. It is also affixed to fake or modified prescription pills, such as those containing the painkiller OxyContin or the antidepressant Xanax. These pills are then resold on the streets and through online marketplaces like the dark web, where they may be purchased by people who don’t know what they’re getting or how much they’re taking.
People who take the tainted drugs are at risk of overdose and death, because they don’t know how much fentanyl they’re taking or how strong it is. A small dose of fentanyl can cause overdose symptoms such as pinpoint pupils, clammy skin, and a life-threatening respiratory depression.
Because fentanyl is so deadly, it’s important to keep an eye on anything that seems out of the ordinary in your home or car. Look for signs of drug use such as pill crushers, small pieces of tinfoil, lighters, needles, scales, blotter paper, unlabelled candies, blue M-30 pills, and Xanax “bars.” If you notice any of these items, it’s best to talk to your doctor right away.
Where is Fentanyl being added to street drugs?
Fentanyl is being added to many different street drugs including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines and pressed pills made to look like Xanax or Adderall. It is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. It is odorless, tasteless and can be snorted or swallowed without being detected. It can also be absorbed through the skin. Fentanyl is causing a massive increase in overdose deaths in the United States. It is being smuggled into the country from China where it is manufactured and then shipped to Mexico where it is mixed with other ingredients and then sold on the street. It is so potent that even a small amount can cause an overdose. The death toll from fentanyl has risen rapidly since 2022, and most of the victims were people who used illicit drugs.
Most of the fentanyl that is being smuggled into the United States is coming from two cartels in Mexico, the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels. They are manufacturing the drug using precursor compounds that they get from China. The drugs are then smuggled into the country and mixed with other ingredients like heroin, methamphetamines or cocaine. The drugs are then pressed into pills and sold to people who think they are taking heroin or a Xanax pill.
Often people don’t know that they are taking fentanyl. It can be mixed with other substances that make them feel high and can create a wide range of symptoms including drowsiness, confusion, dizziness, bloating, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, slowed breathing and urinary retention. The drug can be fatal in just two milligrams.
The drugs are mainly being sold through the mail, often in envelopes with powder that can be snorted or injected. The drug is also being mailed to people who have already built up a tolerance to heroin and are looking for a way to experience the same effects at lower doses. Users can be tempted to try a higher dosage when they think they are getting more heroin because it is less expensive, but they should remember that fentanyl and fentanyl analogues are much stronger and can have a fatal effect in smaller amounts.