An Emerging Threat In the USA: What is Fentanyl and How to Use a Fentanyl Rapid Test Kit?
Although fentanyl has significant medical value due to its analgesic properties, it is a rising cause of overdose deaths around the world. The striking overdose rates quickly led to strict limitations on its medical use. However, fentanyl is currently among the most common drugs and one of the primary causes of overdose deaths worldwide due to the increasing availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl in illegal drug markets. Indeed, recent years have seen fentanyl and its analogs contribute to a dramatic surge in drug overdose deaths in the United States. Fentanyl rapid test kits have been designed to address the growing need for a quick, sensitive, convenient, and accessible method to check for the presence of fentanyl in drugs in support of overdose prevention. Read along to learn more about fentanyl, its growing use, common symptoms associated with the use of fentanyl, and how it is detected via fentanyl rapid test kits.
What is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a strong synthetic opioid developed in the years 1959-1960. While fentanyl has morphine-like analgesic properties, the latest estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that it may be more than 50 times stronger than heroin and around 100 times stronger than morphine. Indeed, 2 mg of fentanyl is widely considered a potentially lethal dose, whereas doses as small as 0,25 mg of fentanyl pose a high risk of overdose for the users. After consumption, fentanyl molecules get distributed in fat, attach to human plasma proteins, and migrate to the brain via the bloodstream. These molecules primarily act on μ-opioid peptide receptors in the brain, which produces pain relief or a feeling of euphoria in the user. The effects of fentanyl emerge quickly and may last for up to 16 hours before the drug is eventually metabolized by the liver to be excreted by the kidneys.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is often prescribed in miniscule doses alongside other analgesics to treat severe or chronic pain that occurs with various conditions such as surgery or advanced-stage cancer. While it could once only be taken in the form of injections, fentanyl can now be smoked, snorted, used as a transdermal patch, or consumed orally as pills, tablets, and films. Fentanyl and its analogs have quickly become available across illegal drug markets around the globe following the start of its illegal manufacture and distribution in 1979. Due to the profound addictive properties and health risks associated with its use, fentanyl has been classified as a Schedule II-controlled substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
How Common is Fentanyl Use?
Fentanyl usage and availability have been increasing in medical as well as recreational settings, resulting in a surge in fentanyl-related overdoses. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, fentanyl use is involved in more than half of all overdose deaths. Between 2012 and 2018, fentanyl overdose rates increased by 1,105%, with an average annual increase of 31.57% in fentanyl-linked deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also reported a spike in fentanyl use and overdose rates during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. This pattern has been linked to the growing availability and use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its analogs.
What are the Symptoms of Fentanyl Addiction, Withdrawal, and Overdose?
Fentanyl and its analogs cause morphine-like effects, including drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, relaxation, euphoria, and confusion in the users. On the other hand, symptoms that may indicate a fentanyl addiction include labored breathing, constipation, upset stomach, coughing, lightheadedness, pale skin, sunken eyes, decreased appetite, mouth ulcers, swelling limbs, convulsions, and fainting. Withdrawal symptoms linked to fentanyl addiction include restlessness, irritability, muscle pains, weakness, chills, elevated blood pressure/heart rate, nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations. Symptoms that may indicate a fentanyl overdose, on the other hand, include depressed breathing, pinpoint pupils, lack of coordination, faint pulse, and loss of consciousness.
How to Use a Fentanyl Rapid Test Kit?
The design and procedure of fentanyl rapid test kits are simple and convenient. While the exact steps may vary slightly depending on the specific drug being tested, the testing procedure typically involves adding a small sample of the drug to a clean container and mixing it with water. The designated end of the test strip is then placed into the mixture for around 15 seconds. Then, the strip is removed and placed on a flat surface for 2 to 5 minutes. If a one-colored line appears on the strip, this indicates the presence of fentanyl or a fentanyl analog in the tested drug. On the other hand, two pink lines indicate that no fentanyl or fentanyl analog has been detected. If there is only one pink line on the right-hand side of the used strip or no lines appear at all, the result is invalid. In this case, the procedure should be repeated using a new strip.