Fentanyl, a drug that may be unknown by many, has become infamous due to the rise in overdose deaths from heroin that are laced with the strong prescription narcotic. Being a strong painkiller that produces similar effects to that of heroin, fentanyl eventually made its way from the hospital to the streets, and the consequences have been severe.

Morphine, heroin and fentanyl have been a combination of narcotics found in several overdoses in the United States. While heroin proves to be a volatile drug by itself, the contents by which it’s cut with can be lethal. The particular dangers lie in the misuse of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid which is most often been associated with Transdermal analgesic patches (pain patches).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that synthetic opioids, including fentanyl are on the rise in the United States.

“Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone, which includes fentanyl, increased by 72% from 2014 to 2015.3 Roughly 9,500 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids other than methadone in 2015,” reported the CDC.

Further, the production of non-pharmaceutical fentanyl has led to increase of lethality in usage of this narcotic.

“Reports from law enforcement indicate that much of the synthetic opioid overdose increase may be due to illegally or illicitly made fentanyl,” as reported by the CDC.  “According to data from the National Forensic Laboratory Information System, confiscations, or seizures, of fentanyl increased by nearly 7x from 2012 to 2014. There were 4,585 fentanyl confiscations in 2014. This suggests that the sharp rise in fentanyl-related deaths may be due to increased availability of illegally made, non-pharmaceutical fentanyl, and not prescribed fentanyl.”

In a statement by Chuck Rosenberg Acting Administrator for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made in June 7, 2016 concerns were brought forward over the apparent pandemic involved with this synthetic opioid.

“[The] DEA has become increasingly alarmed over the proliferation of illicit fentanyl and its derivatives, which have been added to heroin and also encountered as counterfeit tablets resembling controlled prescription drugs (CPDs),” Rosenberg said. “Fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives are potent synthetic opioids which present a serious risk of overdose and death by those who misuse these substances. The yearly market for illegal non-medical prescription pain relievers is over 11 million people, and if fentanyl is introduced into even a small portion of that overall market, there is a likelihood that overdoses will increase.”

This is made apparent as the CDC released a statement saying that the number of states reporting 20 or more fentanyl confiscations every six months has increased. Citing that from July to December 2014, 18 states had reported 20 or more fentanyl drug confiscations. In comparison, only six states had reported 20 or more confiscations from July to December 2013.

As a result of easy exposure, Rosenberg iterated that public safety officials too are affected by the potency of fentanyl.

“In addition, this drug can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled, which makes it particularly dangerous for public safety personnel who encounter the substance during the course of their daily operations,” Rosenberg said. “Fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives represent the deadly convergence of the synthetic drug threat and current national opioid epidemic.”

The symptoms of a fentanyl overdose incompass the slowing of breathing or complete respiratory failure, sedation, drowsiness, pinpoint pupils and clammy skin.

The usage of this synthetic opiod are only predicted to rise, as a result to its easy availability and the making of non-pharmaceutical alternatives.