Fentanyl is a very powerful synthetic opioid painkiller. It’s medically used for severe pain, especially during surgery or in certain cancer patients.
It’s roughly 50–100 times more potent than morphine.
Illicit fentanyl is often mixed into other
drugs or
pressed into counterfeit pills, sometimes without the
person knowing.
Because extremely
small amounts can be dangerous, fentanyl is a major contributor to fatal opioid overdoses.
An overdose can cause extreme sleepiness, pinpoint pupils, slowed or stopped breathing, and unconsciousness.
Naloxone (Narcan) can rapidly reverse a fentanyl-related opioid overdose and should be given when an overdose is suspected.