Fentanyl Resources

Fentanyl: What You Need to Know

Fentanyl is a prescription drug that is also made and used illegally. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is used in surgery or to treat patients with severe pain. The main public health concern is over illicitly manufactured fentanyl and related compounds.
Fentanyl is about 50 times stronger than heroin, which means it is more likely to cause overdose.

According to the CDC, over 200 people die every day in the United States from overdoses involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Fentanyl is involved in about 70% of the 110,000 overdose deaths each year.
Fentanyl is frequently substituted for or mixed into other drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine with or without the individual knowing.
Fentanyl can be made or distributed in different forms, including liquid and powder, making it easily blended with other drugs, including pressed into fake pills. The fake pills may look like prescription opioids or anti-anxiety medications.
About 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose. That’s only about the size of 5-7 grains of salt.

Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is a powerful non-opioid sedative that is approved for use in animals, but not people.
It is increasingly being added to illicit opioids, including fentanyl. In 2023, over 99% of xylazine-positive urine specimens from over 73,000 patients from various healthcare specialties also contained fentanyl and 16% of fentanyl-positive specimens contained xylazine.
The presence of xylazine and fentanyl in drugs may put individuals at a higher risk of a fatal overdose. Xylazine use can also lead to skin ulcers, abscesses, and related complications.

For people who are pregnant, using illicit opioids or taking prescription opioids at higher doses or for longer than recommended by their health care providers may increase the risk for pregnancy-related problems, including:
› Poor growth of the baby
› Low levels of amniotic fluid (fluid that surrounds baby in the uterus)
› Stillbirth
› Preterm delivery
› Neonatal opioid withdrawal symptoms
It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs contain fentanyl or xylazine without using test strips or other drug checking methods.

Learn to recognize the signs of opioid overdose.
If you think someone is experiencing a drug overdose:
› Call 911 immediately
› Administer naloxone, if available
› Lay the person on their side to prevent choking
› Don’t leave the person until medical help arrives
Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a life-saving medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. It’s available without a prescription in most pharmacies.
Looking for Naloxone? Visit www.naloxoneforall.org
Fentanyl test strips are small strips of paper that can indicate the presence of fentanyl in different kinds of drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.) and drug forms (pills, powder, and injectables) to help reduce the risk of accidental exposure.
Fentanyl test strip availability varies by state.
› Contact your local health department or harm reduction agency to learn more about fentanyl test strips.