Synthetic Opioids More Powerful than Fentanyl Uncovered in DC

Forensic experts have identified a new family of synthetic opioids, which have contaminated the supply of illegal narcotics in Washington DC—a district that is already struggling with a never-ending stream of fatal, opioid-related overdoses.

These opioids have been identified as protonitazene and isotonitazene. The most distressing news is that these new synthetic opioids are several times more potent than fentanyl, which is already recognized as the main contributor to the continued prevalence of opioid-related overdoses in the US.

Fentanyl is typically used as a cheaper (as it is synthetic) replacement for the natural opioid heroin. Opioid addicts often take fentanyl, which is ten times more potent and therefore much deadlier than heroin, thinking it is heroin and overdose as a result.

The Battle Against Synthetic Opioids is Already Being Lost, and This Could Make Things Worse

Public health officials are already losing the battle against curbing opioid overdoses, with fentanyl being the main problem. With two more highly potent opioids being added to the mix, the number of opioid-related deaths is only likely to continue to increase.

Initially tests have shown that protonitazene is around three or four times more powerful than fentanyl. This would make it possibly forty times more potent than heroin and – incredibly – four hundred times more potent than morphine. The findings for isotonitazene are even more distressing, with this synthetic opioid testing as ten times more powerful than fentanyl.

Traces of these ultra-deadly synthetic opioids have been found all over the United States – the Midwest, the South and Southwest and along the Eastern Seaboard. The “better” news though is that such findings are rare with fentanyl still being the primary commodity within the international drug trade. What is of concern though is that should the flow of fentanyl into the United States be curbed, then new, even more potent synthetic opioids could be poised to fill the gap.

Has Your Life Been Affected by Opioids? Advanced Rapid Detox Can Help

If your life is still being influenced by the presence of opioids and you want to claim your old life back, then we here at Advanced Rapid Detox can help. With our rapid detoxification program, we will cleanse your body of opioids in as little as three days, all while you are under supervision in a controlled medical facility and sedated so that you do not have to suffer the side effects associated with withdrawal.

To learn more, call us at (800) 603-1813 or get in touch online here.