Fentanyl — Fentanyl is an exceptionally potent synthetic opioid that has been connected to an upsurge in drug overdose deaths among adults in the United States in recent years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36,000 drug overdose deaths using synthetic opioids like fentanyl occurred in 2019 alone, accounting for more than 60% of all opioid-related overdose deaths.

Fentanyl’s strength, combined with its broad availability and low cost, has resulted in its dominance in the illicit drug market, culminating in a public health disaster that is still wreaking havoc on communities across the country.

Affecting the youth

While fentanyl has mostly been linked to the deaths of adults, it has recently been connected to the deaths of many children and teenagers in the United States.

According to Julie Gaither, an epidemiologist at Yale School of Medicine, over 1,500 children under the age of 20 died from fentanyl in 2021.

Since 2018, the number of fatalities has quadrupled.

In 2021, fentanyl deaths accounted for virtually all opioid-related deaths in this age range.

The drug

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is used to relieve the acute pain of cancer patients.

It is also illegally produced and distributed as a street drug.

The substance is far more strong than other opioids like morphine and heroin, making it very deadly for recreational users.

The opiate fentanyl is created in a laboratory, largely in China, and then trafficked into other nations.

Without the user’s awareness, illicit fentanyl is frequently blended with other opioids such as heroin or cocaine, increasing the danger of overdose.

Fentanyl trafficking has exacerbated a major public health problem in a number of nations, most notably the United States, where fentanyl overdose deaths have increased in recent years.

Replacing prescription drugs

Fentanyl is quickly replacing prescription opioids such as oxycodone because it is less costly and easier to get illegally.

As a result, there has been an upsurge in overdoses since patients may not know they are taking fentanyl rather than the authorized medication.

Because traffickers routinely mix fentanyl with other opiates to increase potency or mimic the effects of other prescription medications, illicit fentanyl is also infecting counterfeit prescription drugs.

As a result, persons seeking pain relief with legitimate prescription drugs may unknowingly be taking a deadly amount of fentanyl.

“That’s primarily the story of what’s happening among teenagers,” said Sarah Bagley, the pediatrician and addiction provider of the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

Bagley claims that children buy and utilize drugs or substances without realizing they are using fentanyl.

“People are not anticipating that they are going to be exposed to fentanyl, and then they are, and that results in overdose.”

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Overdoses

Some of the symptoms of a drug overdose include:

• Falling asleep
• Losing consciousness
• Gurgling
• Choking sounds
• Weak/no breathing

“This change in the drug supply, where you have a much more potent opioid, is really driving it all,” said Bagley.

According to Gaither, the majority of fentanyl deaths among adolescents and teens occurred at home.

“For smaller kids, kids who are mobile, they would be taking a drug that’s off the floor,” she said.

Gaither also stressed the importance of additional education to help parents realize how harmful fentanyl is and that narcotics should be kept out of the reach of youngsters.

Mortality rate

Julie Gaither examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on pediatric mortality from 1999 through 2021.

During that time, the fentanyl mortality rate more than tripled, from 0.47 to 1.92 per 100,000 children.

Fentanyl smothered 40 infants and 93 children aged one to four in 2021.

Overdose fatalities among adults have also climbed.

Synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, were responsible for more than 70,000 deaths in the United States in 2021, accounting for more than 106,000 drug overdose deaths in 2022.

A counter to overdose

Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medicine, was licensed for over-the-counter use by the US Food and Drug Administration in March.

It will be available at a variety of stores in late summer.

Some communities are teaching residents how to use nasal spray medications and providing them to victims.

According to Gaither, the medicine is Narcan, an opiate antidote that is safe for children of all ages.

Parents who have Narcan on hand can quickly counteract the effects of opioids.

Bagley, on the other hand, underlined the necessity of educating teens about Narcan.

She has spoken with teens who have inquired about keeping their peers safe.

According to Bagley, addressing overdoses with children means talking about the risks as well as how they care for people in their life and respond in a crisis.