It is both potent and deadly, the opioid class called nitazenes has been found in syringes after people have overdosed. Though it is surfacing in the current drug crisis, the medication is actually over 60 years old and was created as a strong form of pain-relief medication, according to the World Health Organisation.
Nitazene is often cited by professionals as being 20 times more powerful than fentanyl, “a drug that is already 50 times more powerful than heroin and 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine,” according to a Healthline article. It seems the opioid epidemic is worsening in spite of, and in light of, the global pandemic. “In areas throughout the United States, a highly potent new synthetic opioid is starting to show up on the streets and is having devastating effects on its users,” according to the article. The potent opioid found in syringes after overdose deaths have been examined by scientists throughout the U.S. Synthetic Opioid Dangers The first wave of the epidemic was met with a surge in prescription pain medication abuse. This was later replaced by heroin in opioid-related deaths. Now, the synthetics are on the rise, according to the article. Nitazenes are the most popular subclass of the new synthetic opioids, according to Alex Krotulski, PhD, associate director at The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education. People’s preferences for opioids change the longer they are addicted to them. As a result, anytime something cheaper and stronger surfaces, the numbers of overdoses surge, according to Dr. Rebecca Donald, assistant professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee. “Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, overtook heroin, and in the past year our country saw more opioid overdose deaths than ever before,” she Donald. What are nitazenes The nitazene class of medication Initially believed to be a powerful pain medication that did not have the dependency-related effects of other opioids, the drugs were still never approved for clinical uses in the United States. “However, in recent months, synthetic pain medications have started to crop up throughout the world including Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and domestically in the United States,” according to the article. The use of nitazenes are still not fully understood, but deaths have been increasing and any kinds of drug mixing can produce much more lethal results in light of their presence. Comments are closed.
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AuthorDr. Angela Carol MD,CCFP,FCFP is a family physician focused on treating chronic illnesses. Archives
May 2022
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