What is Carfentanil?

There is no denying that all drugs can pose a serious threat to anyone’s health. However, there are some that are more dangerous than others. One of the most dangerous and most addictive drugs is carfentanil. In this blog, we’ll discuss what carfentanil is, the effects of it, and how it can be treated.

The “Crazy Dangerous” Drug

Carfentanil is a very powerful drug, so powerful that it puts other opioids far behind it. According to the DEA, it has been labeled as “crazy dangerous”, which should go to show exactly how fatal this drug can be. This drug is more potent than heroin, one of the worst drugs out there. Its potency is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin. Carfentanil alone has been responsible for thousands of emergency room visits and even fatalities.

This drug was originally used to sedate large zoo animals like elephants, horses, and other large mammals. The sad thing is that this drug was never approved to be used as a painkiller, but people have started to abuse it despite the fact that is it dangerous for humans to ingest. Carfentanil is an analog of the synthetic opioid analgesic fentanyl, which is a prescribed opioid for only the most severe pain and it 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Carfentanil is so potent that even the smallest amount of the drug can kill someone.

Signs of Use

When someone is abusing carfentanil, there are common signs that point out if there is abuse. The drug works very quickly and the exposure can become apparent very quickly. Some common signs of carfentanil use are:

• Drowsiness
• Clammy Skin
• Small Pupils
• Sedation
• Respiratory Depression

The Facts

When someone is abusing carfentanil, it is not unlikely that they will overdose. Fatalities from carfentanil are becoming all too common. In 2016, there were reported over 400 deaths in Ohio alone and 500 in Florida. This statistic is alarming, but not all that shocking considering the fact that this drug is 10,000 times stronger than morphine. Even if you inhale the tiniest amount of the drug or come into skin contact with it, it can be dangerous.

For some perspective on how potent this drug is, about 5 milligrams (the size of a couple of grains of salt) can kill a one-ton buffalo. This substance is so strong that it needs to be handled with special equipment to avoid any sort of contact (goggles, masks, gloves, etc.). This drug was never meant to be abused, it is mostly used to sedate large mammals for things like relocation. It is used in hospitals only to treat the most severe signs of pain, but not for recreational use. Since the drug is more powerful than morphine, it has become widely abused by addicts for its strong euphoric high.

Carfentanil And The Opioid Crisis?

The Opioid Epidemic has become a huge issue in the last couple of decades. The whole epidemic started when doctors would prescribe doses of painkillers to patients that far exceeded what they initially needed. With people’s needs for painkillers growing, some have gone to the streets in hopes to find a better, more convenient high through opioids like heroin. Some of the people that have gone to these lengths have been unintentionally exposed to carfentanil.

Drug distributors have started adding carfentanil into heroin in hopes of making a more potent drug for their users. However, it has only caused nothing but harm. As we discussed earlier, people have started overdosing and dying from their exposure to carfentanil since it is virtually undetectable. Sadly, the numbers are still increasing because more and more people try heroin for the first time every day.

Treatment For Carfentanil Addiction

Addiction isn’t an easy thing to deal with, but treatment can help immensely. Rehab facilities are readily available and equipped to treat any kind of addiction, even carfentanil addiction. Unless a person receives proper treatment and attention, they may experience a relapse and fall right back into addiction again. There are many options for treatment that are all meant to cater to different types of people and different types of addiction. It’s important for a person to not only get proper treatment and therapy, but also come to terms with the fact that they struggle with addiction. This is the first step in recovery and is one of the most important: admitting you struggle.