Discussions around this topic in public forums many times lead to heated political, social, and personal debates and the result is that needed resources are increasingly available, yet not to the extent that it matches the need. The antiquated message that opiates affect only a specific group of the population is quickly fading. The stigma surrounding opiate use, abuse, and overdose fades with time as growing numbers of lives are touched by the opiate epidemic.

Opiate use/abuse is not “just a homeless issue.” It is a phenomenon that cuts across all demographic and socioeconomic groups. Just last year UT football player Jake Ellinger took a Xanax and was later found dead in his apartment. Families across the country (and world) tell stories of sons and daughters with similar stories–people who struggle with addiction or who had an injury and were prescribed pain medication and then had difficulty stopping so they sought relief with non-prescription pills.

Drug dealers are pressing fentanyl into benzos (i.e. anxiety medications like Xanax or Ativan) and opiate (i.e. pain medication like Norcos or Oxycontin) pills. It is being mixed in (or “cut”) with powdered substances like cocaine and heroin. It is even now being reported to be found in crystal meth. Fentanyl has inundated the drug market. What can start out as an innocent one time “fun Friday night” can quickly turn dangerous.

Below are some objective truths about fentanyl:

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which itself is 50 times more potent than heroin.
Opioids kill more than 136 Americans every day.
OD deaths rank just below diabetes in terms of highest death count.
On an average month, Travis County EMS will see 20-25 opioid overdoses. From Jan-Apr 2022 they were seeing 40-60 overdoses in a month
Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid, is a white powdery substance that looks like it could be cocaine or heroin. Drug dealers mix it with heroin to presumably make the heroin stronger. It is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. The drug is also used to tranquilize elephants and other large mammals. This drug is so powerful it poses a significant threat to first responders and law enforcement personnel who touch it by accident. In addition, people can overdose on carfentanil quickly. Multiple doses of the anti-overdose drug Narcan may not be effective. Users exposed to carfentanil can experience dizziness, clammy skin, shallow breathing, heart failure and more.

How can we respond to the growing threat?

Obtain Narcan. Learn how to use it. Educate your children about what it is and what it does. Keep it in a place that is accessible (and out of the heat). Remember that it can take as many as 3-4 doses of Narcan to reverse a fentanyl overdose (as opposed to 1 or 2 for a heroin overdose). Call 9-1-1 if you notice that breathing is labored or heart rate has significantly slowed. Always do this when/if you administer Narcan–the effects last for 20-30 mins.
If you are going to use a substance, don’t do it alone
Be aware of all the treatment resources available. Austin is an amazing epicenter of substance abuse treatment at all levels ranging from outpatient therapists (group and individual) to intensive outpatient programs to sober living homes to inpatient and residential treatment facilities.
As the laws and regulations in your area allow, access resources from needle exchange programs and fentanyl test strips. Fentanyl test strips can be used to assess whether the drug you have contains fentanyl or not. They are available at locations in Austin.