Fentanyl
Fentanyl
The current rise in opioid-involved overdose deaths is driven by increases in fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in the drug supply. Fentanyl, a white powdery substance, can be found in heroin, cocaine, benzodiazapines, pills, methamphetamines, and other drugs.
Fentanyl causes overdoses because it is especially strong and it is hard to know how much of it is in your drugs. Fentanyl is estimated to be 50x stronger than heroin and 100x stronger than morphine.
Test your pills for fentanyl by dissolving a small amount into a small amount of water and using a fentanyl test strip. Many counterfeit pills have been branded and look similar to what can come from a pharmacy. Remember that fentanyl test strips can have false negatives (negative test strip, but pill could still have fentanyl in it), so it’s important to still be cautious.