Fentanyl: Actually As Dangerous As They Say

[restricted term]: A Potent Synthetic Opioid Anesthetic From the 1960s

[restricted term], a synthetic opioid and powerful form of anesthetic, was first introduced to the medical community in the 1960s, marking a significant advancement in pain management and surgical procedures.

[restricted term], Created by Paul Janssen In Belgium, Offered a Safer, Faster-Acting Alternative to Opioid Painkillers

Developed by Paul Janssen and his company in Belgium, [restricted term] was crafted to serve as an intravenous anesthetic for surgical use. Aimed at providing a safer and faster-acting option compared to existing opioid painkillers, [restricted term] quickly became valued for its high therapeutic index and reduced number of negative side effects.

[restricted term], Approved For Medical Use In the 1960s, Became Widely Available as Restrictions Lifted

Making its first appearance in 1960, [restricted term] spread across Europe by 1963 and landed in the United States by 1968. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FD ...

The discussion highlights the dangers and strength of [restricted term] in both medical settings and illicit use, emphasizing its significant role in opioid overdoses and its impact on life expectancy in the U.S.

[restricted term]: An Opioid 100x More Potent Than [restricted term], 50x Than Heroin

[restricted term], commonly used as an anesthetic during surgery, poses grave risks on the streets because of its potency and the possibility of uneven dosages, making a toxic dose easily attainable. [restricted term] is 100 times more potent than [restricted term] and 50 times more potent than heroin. It has an alarmingly fast onset due to its ability to quickly cross the blood-brain barrier. The high from [restricted term] has a shorter duration than heroin or [restricted term], generally lasting only an hour or two, which can cause users to dose more frequently and increases the risk of developing an addiction or experiencing an overdose. Overdoses can occur within seconds due to this rapid onset.

[restricted term]'s Potency and Speed Increase Addiction and Overdose Risk

Josh Clark points out that while [restricted term] is safe under medical supervision, it becomes dangerous when manufactured and distributed by illicit channels. The drug's intense rush and rapid onset contribute to addiction, with users often seeking repeated doses to maintain the high, significantly raising the odds of an overdose.

[restricted term]'s Dangerous Side Effects: Respiratory Depression, Sedation, Confusion, Nausea, Heart Failure, Death

[restricted term]'s deadly side effects include intense relaxation and pleasure, but can also lead to nausea, dizziness, confusion, and vomiting. Overdosing primarily causes breathing issues, which is the leading cause of [restricted term]-related death, but it can also result in heart attack, heart failure, mood disorders, and problems with the im ...

The dangerous opioid [restricted term] has swiftly entered the illicit drug market, exacerbating overdose risks as it's often combined with other substances.

[restricted term] Enters Illicit Drug Market, Often Mixed With Heroin or Cocaine Unknowingly

While some [restricted term] users obtain legitimate forms of the drug, such as patches, the greater threat comes from powders and pills manufactured illegally. These clandestine forms of [restricted term] often make their way into the country or are produced domestically. Notably, there's a pressing concern that cocaine is sometimes cut with [restricted term], leaving users to ingest [restricted term] without their knowledge and significantly elevating the risk of overdose.

Illicitly produced [restricted term], including these powders and pills, is frequently mixed with other drugs like heroin or cocaine. [restricted term] pills are sometimes designed to mimic old [restricted term] pills, further deceiving users about the substance they are taking.

Dealers Lace Drugs With [restricted term], Boosting Potency and Profits, Causing Overdose Rise

Dealers are known to lace drugs with [restricted term] to cut costs and increase potency. Users are often unaware that their heroin might contain dangerous levels of [restricted term], which has led to an increase in overdose incidents. The variability in [restricted term]'s potency between batches can cause people to overdose simply ...

The opioid crisis in the United States has developed in waves, with the recent rise of illicit [restricted term] outpacing previous overdose waves.

US Opioid Crisis: Illicit [restricted term]'s Recent Rise Outpaces Previous Overdose Waves

1990s: Prescription Opioid Abuse Rise; Heroin Overdoses Follow

Chuck Bryant discusses the beginning of the opioid addiction crisis which started in the 1990s with prescription opioids. This period saw an associated rise in fatal overdoses due to the widespread abuse of medication like [restricted term].

2013 Third Wave Shows Increase in Overdose Deaths From Illicit [restricted term]

As the second wave unfolded, the government pressured doctors and manufacturers to reduce opioid prescriptions and reformulate medications to make them less prone to abuse. Subsequently, when the access to [restricted term] was curtailed, people turned to heroin, resulting in a quadrupling of heroin overdose deaths from 2002 to 2013.

The third wave, which began around 2013, has seen a surge in overdose deaths associated with illicit [restricted term]. Compared to the previous waves, this one has observed a significantly higher death rate. In 1999, there were two opioid overdose d ...

As the opioid crisis evolves, the debate intensifies between those advocating for punitive law enforcement responses and those supporting public health strategies for harm reduction, including the provision of overdose reversal medications and safe drug testing.

Opioid Crisis Leads to Harm Reduction Focus, Providing Overdose Reversal Meds and Safe Drug Testing

Punitive Law Enforcement vs. Public Health Response to Opioid Crisis

The discussion by Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark touches upon the shift in perception of the [restricted term] crisis—viewing it more as a public health issue than solely a criminal one. Emphasizing harm reduction strategies, they mention measures such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as the "gold standard" for opioid addiction treatment, with [restricted term] and [restricted term] ([restricted term]) being widely recognized options. Good Samaritan laws acting to protect drug users seeking medical help during an overdose scenario, as well as policies forbidding ambulances from alerting the police, are cited as indicators of a growing focus on health rather than punishment.

Harm Reduction Measures, Such as [restricted term] Test Strips and Supervised Consumption Sites, Show Promise In Reducing Overdose Deaths, but Access Is Uneven

While [restricted term] test strips, which can indicate the presence of [restricted term] or its analogs in drugs, are indeed a component of these harm reduction strategies, the transcripts do not specify how these and other measures like supervised consumption sites have impacted the reduction of overdose deaths or address the uneven access to such resources. However, practices like administering smaller doses of drugs and using drugs in groups to facilitate immediate response with [res ...