How Much Do You Think You Know About Fentanyl?

Fentanyl seems to be all over the headlines these days. But how much do you really know about this synthetic (man-made) opioid? Find out. Quiz yourself using the Fentanyl Fact or Fiction feature below.

Fentanyl is a more powerful opioid than heroin.

Fact or Fiction?

Fact

Fentanyl, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, is a major contributor to both fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses in the US.2 Most cases of fentanyl-related overdose are believed to be caused by illicitly manufactured fentanyl.2 Because it is extremely potent and relatively cheap to make, illicitly manufactured fentanyl is often added to other drugs to make them more powerful and more addictive (and therefore more dangerous).2

Most overdose deaths involve illicitly manufactured fentanyl, fentanyl derivatives or synthetic opioids.

Fact or Fiction?

Fact

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), synthetic opioids (like fentanyl) appear to be driving drug overdose deaths in the US.1,3 Some illegal drug dealers sell fentanyl as a powder, drop it onto blotter paper, put it in eye droppers and nasal sprays or make it into fake pills that are virtually impossible to distinguish from “real” prescription opioids.4 The DEA Laboratory recently found that, of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, 6 out of 10 contain a potentially lethal dose of the opioid.5

Other dealers mix fentanyl with drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.4 They do this for economic reasons—both to “stretch” the drugs they sell (it takes very little fentanyl to produce the high) and make them even more addictive.2,4

My friend would never give me a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Fact or Fiction?

Fiction

A friend wouldn’t do this to you intentionally, but if your friend was duped, your life could be at risk.5 Just 2 mg of fentanyl — the amount shown in the photos below — has the potential to cause a deadly overdose.1

Illicit fentanyl is sometimes cut into cocaine, added to methamphetamine and/or pressed into fake pills. This can put someone at risk even if they try to avoid fentanyl. Given the number of people who are dying of synthetic opioid-related overdose in this country—more than 150 per day—fentanyl seems to be everywhere there is substance use.2

So, could your friend accidentally give you something that has a lethal dose of illicit fentanyl without realizing it? Yes.1

More than 1 million Americans will die of an opioid overdose by the end of this decade.

Fact or Fiction?

Fact

The opioid epidemic is arguably one of the most significant public health crises of our time. Unless new efforts are made to address this issue, more than 1.2 million Americans will die of opioid overdoses by the end of this decade.6

Fentanyl is so potent, it will kill you if you touch it.

Fact or Fiction?

(mostly) Fiction

According to Trent Hall, DO, Addiction Medicine Specialist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the risks of dying from sniffing, smoking, swallowing or injecting fentanyl are high. The risks associated with accidentally touching fentanyl or breathing it in through the air, on the other hand, are relatively low.7

That said, there are things you can do to protect yourself if you come into contact with fentanyl. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recommends the precautions below:8

  1. Prevent further contamination and notify others nearby of the presence of fentanyl.
  2. Do not touch your eyes, mouth, nose or any skin after touching any potentially contaminated surface.
  3. Wash skin thoroughly with cool water and soap, if available. Do not use hand sanitizers as they may enhance absorption.
  4. Wash your hands thoroughly after the incident and before eating, drinking, smoking or using the bathroom.

If you suspect your clothing, shoes and/or other belongings have been contaminated, contact your local hospital or health center for further instructions.

I don’t take opioids, so fentanyl is not something I need to worry about.

Fact or Fiction?

Fiction

Illicitly manufactured fentanyl is one of the drugs most commonly involved in overdose deaths. It’s often mixed with other substances, like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, without the user’s knowledge. This means that all illicit or counterfeit drugs are potentially deadly because they could contain lethal amounts of fentanyl.2

Children and teens can easily get fentanyl.

Fact or Fiction?

Fact

Monthly drug overdose deaths, most of which were fentanyl-related, nearly tripled among adolescents from 2019 through the end of 2021.9 Children and teenagers can easily gain access to counterfeit pills laced with deadly amounts of fentanyl, and the resulting accident can be devastating. Drug dealers have even taken to social media platforms, enabling young people to buy what they think are Xanax®, Percocet® or Oxycodone® tablets without ever leaving their homes.10

People who die of fentanyl overdose do it to themselves.

Fact or Fiction?

Fiction

More than 90% of drug overdoses are accidental deaths.11 If a person dies of a fentanyl overdose, chances are they did not know how much fentanyl was in the substance they took or even that fentanyl was in there at all.2 A person may take what they believe to be a real medicine, only to die of an overdose because it turns out to be counterfeit and is laced with a deadly amount of fentanyl.5,10

As for individuals who suffer with substance use disorder (SUD), it is important to recognize that SUD is not a “choice,” but a chronic health condition like diabetes or heart disease. Just like a patient with diabetes should be medically managed to limit the risk of a diabetic attack, an SUD should be medically managed to limit the risk of an opioid overdose.12

Fentanyl is a problem both in urban AND rural areas.

Fact or Fiction?

Fact

According to the CDC, drug overdose rates are increasing in both urban and rural areas.13 Every part of the US has been impacted by fentanyl and the opioid crisis, and the impact on small towns and rural areas has been particularly significant.13-15

I can equip myself to save the life of someone who is experiencing an opioid overdose.

Fact or Fiction?

Fact

Approximately 40 percent of deadly opioid overdoses happen with someone nearby.16 If a bystander is armed with a naloxone medication like Kloxxado® (naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray 8 mg, these overdoses do not have to be fatal.16,17 We can show we care about the safety and well-being of others by carrying a naloxone medication like Kloxxado®. To learn more about Kloxxado® and how you can use it to reverse the effects of opioid overdose, visit Kloxxado.com.17

Kloxxado® is a registered trademark of Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Please see the Full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for Kloxxado® for complete product details.

NOTE: This article was not written by a medical professional and is not intended to substitute for the guidance of a physician. These are not Hikma’s recommendations, but rather facts and data collected from various reliable medical sources. For a full list of resources and their attributing links, see below.

References

  1. Facts about Fentanyl. US Drug Enforcement Administration website. Available at: https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl. Accessed March 25, 2023.
  2. Fentanyl Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/index.html. Accessed March 25, 2023.
  3. Drug Overdose Death Rates. National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse website. Available at: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates. Accessed June 13, 2023.
  4. Fentanyl DrugFacts. National Insitute on Drug Abuse website. Available at: https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl. Accessed March 2, 2023.
  5. One Pill Can Kill. US Drug Enforcement Administration website. Available at: https://www.dea.gov/onepill. Accessed March 27, 2023.
  6. Humphreys K, et al. Responding to the Opioid Crisis in North America and Beyond: Recommendations of the Stanford-Lancet Commission. Lancet. 2022;399(10324):555-604.
  7. Can you overdose from fentanyl from having it touch your skin? The Ohio State University website. Available at: https://health.osu.edu/community-health/health-and-society/can-you-overdose-from-fentanyl-touching-your-skin. Accessed March 27, 2023.
  8. Fentanyl—Safety Recommendations for First Responders. US Drug Enforcement Administration website. Available at: https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/Publications/Final%20STANDARD%20size%20of%20Fentanyl%20Safety%20Recommendations%20for%20First%20Respond….pdf. Accessed March 27, 2023.
  9. Drug overdose deaths among teenagers surged during the pandemic driven by illicit fentanyl. CNBC website. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/19/fentanyl-drug-overdose-deaths-surged-among-teenagers-during-pandemic.html. Accessed March 28, 2023.
  10. Killed by a pill bought on social media: the counterfeit drugs poisoning US teens. The Guardian website. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/22/teen-fentanyl-deaths-pills-social-media. Accessed March 28, 2023.
  11. NCHS Data Brief No. 457 December 2022. Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2001-2021. Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/122556. Accessed April 17, 2023.
  12. Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website. Available at: https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-generals-report.pdf. Accessed April 13, 2023.
  13. Opioid Misuse in Rural America. US Department of Agriculture website. Available at: https://www.usda.gov/topics/opioids. Accessed March 28, 2023.
  14. ‘It’s destroying our community,’ Fentanyl gripping rural counties in Missouri. 41 KSHB website. Available at: https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/its-destroying-our-community-fentanyl-gripping-rural-counties-in-missouri. Accessed March 28, 2023.
  15. Ag community cautioned to beware of fentanyl flooding rural areas. Iowa Farm Bureau website. Available at: https://www.iowafarmbureau.com/Article/Ag-community-cautioned-to-beware-of-fentanyl-flooding-rural-areas. Accessed March 28, 2023.
  16. Lifesaving Naloxone. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/naloxone/. Accessed March 28, 2023.
  17. Kloxxado® (naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray [prescribing information]. Columbus, OH: Hikma Specialty USA Inc., 2021.

HK-2173-v2