Why fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the US | JUST THE FAQS

Over 150 Americans die every day from overdoses related to fentanyl and synthetic opioids. Here’s why fentanyl is so deadly.

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Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that we use to treat cases of severe pain. It has a prominent role in pain management of cancer patients, in particular. It can be given intravenously and is also prescribed as a lozenge, tablet, spray or transdermal patch. The danger of fentanyl is its potency.

The rate of overdose deaths involving fentanyl increased 56% from 2019 to 2020, according to the most recent data available. There have been multiple reports of police officers claiming to have suffered an accidental dangerous overdose from fentanyl because their skin came into contact with fentanyl powder that was found when they responded to an emergency call. In addition, the TV show "Blue Bloods" aired an episode in 2017 in which a police officer overdosed after touching a tray containing fentanyl.

You cannot overdose on illicit fentanyl thru skin contact. While medical grade formulations of fentanyl include patches, illicit fentanyl cannot be absorbed by the skin. In fact, pharmaceutical companies spent millions of dollars and years of research developing the proper formula for a medical-grade fentanyl patch because it's so difficult to deliver the effects of fentanyl via the skin.

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