Fentanyl: Overview

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that is most commonly used to treat break though pain and post surgery pain. Break through pain is sudden sever pain that lasts for short periods of time and is commonly found in cancer patients. Fentanyl is most commonly administered through an IV. When people develop a higher tolerance for the drug, such as cancer patients, it can also be given in a patch, a pill that dissolves in your mouth, or a lolliepop. Fentanyl is similar to morphine, but is approximately 100 times stronger and has a much higher potential for addiction. Fentanyl has a very short onset time and a short duration. When administered through an IV the onset time of fentanyl is under 1 minute, it reaches it's peak effect in 2-3 minutes and only lasts for about 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile morphine administered in the same way has an onset time of 5 minutes, reaching it's peak effect in 10 minutes and lasts 1-4 hours. Like heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, fentanyl works by binding to the body's opiate receptors, highly concentrated in areas of the brain that control pain and emotions. When opiate drugs bind to these receptors, they can drive up dopamine levels in the brain's reward areas, producing a state of euphoria and relaxation. Since fentanyl is highly addictive it is often used to cut heroin and cocaine making them stronger, more addictive, and more dangerous. Some of the street names for fentanyl are Apache, China Girl, China White, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfella, Jackpot,
Murder 8, TNT, Tango and Cash. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) fentanyl was first synthesized in Belgium in the late 1950s and was introduced into medical practice in the 1960s. Illegal use of fentanyls first appeared in the mid-1970s and continues to be a problem in the United States. To date, over 12 different types of fentanyl have been produced and identified in the U.S. drug traffic. From April 2005 to March 2007, an outbreak of fentanyl