GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A local doctor is explaining the impacts of fentanyl after Michigan State Police seized a record amount of it during a traffic stop in Van Buren County this week.
READ MORE: MSP seizes 4 kilos of fentanyl during a traffic stop in Van Buren Co., a state record
Colleen Lane is the medical director of addiction medicine at CoreWell Health.
She spoke with FOX 17 Wednesday and says most people do not understand the drug, despite its growing use in West Michigan.
WHAT IS FENTANYL?
According to Lane, fentanyl is a highly addictive, manmade opioid.
It’s often encountered either as a powder or in fake tablets. Sometimes fentanyl is sold in combination with other drugs, such as heroin or cocaine.
The drug can be injected, snorted, sniffed, smoked or taken by pill or tablet.
Similar to other commonly used opioids, fentanyl users may experience relaxation, pain relief, drowsiness, nausea, dizziness and vomiting when taking it.
“A very small amount of fentanyl has the same power as a larger amount of morphine or a larger amount of heroin,” Lane explained. “Even a tiny amount of fentanyl can cause a very extreme high, or in unfortunately, in a lot of cases, an accidental overdose.”
WHAT IS ITS ORIGIN?
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration says fentanyl was first developed in 1959 and introduced in the 1960s as an anesthetic.
Beginning in 2011, overdose deaths involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids dramatically increased.
Over a ten-year period, the number rose from 2,600 deaths each year to 68,000 deaths in 2021.
There are similar trends in Michigan.
The state’s Department of Health and Human Services says 1,911 people died from synthetic opioid overdoses in 2020.
In 2017, there were 1,295 overdose deaths.
Lane says the pandemic led to an explosion in fentanyl use.
“COVID really accelerated that change, so just like other supply chains were interrupted - all of us were familiar with the toilet paper shortage - the illicit drug supply chains were also interrupted,” said Lane. “Fentanyl is easier to produce, you can get the precursor chemicals needed, shipped in, and then bring it across the border in smaller amounts, and then distributed across the country.”
WHY IS IT SO DANGEROUS?
Fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.
It is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful and more addictive.
Lane says her patients often do not know they’re using it.
“We do urine drug screen screens to monitor what's going on, and it is very uncommon for us to find actual heroin [or other opioids],” said Lane. “Of the hundreds of patients we see in a month, we might have one or two that have heroin in their system, true heroin. Everything else is fentanyl.”
People are not able see, taste or smell deadly levels of fentanyl.
The CDC recommends people use test strips if they plan to use drugs, which are inexpensive and typically give results within five minutes.
“A lot of people are surprised and they say, ‘I thought I was purchasing oxycontin pill or Percocet pill, I had no idea that this was a fake pressed pill that was really fentanyl powder made to look like it was coming from a pharmacy,’” said Lane.
WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU THINK SOMEONE IS OVERDOSING ON FENTANYL?
Someone who is overdosing may have cold and clammy skin, changes to their pupillary size, slow, weak, or no breathing.
People should call 911, administer naloxone if available, try to keep the person awake and breathing, lay them on their side and stay with them until help arrives.
Lane notes people cannot overdose from being around or exposed to fentanyl.
“You cannot absorb fentanyl through your skin, you cannot absorb enough through your lungs to have an overdose,” said Lane. “There’s such misinformation about fentanyl that if someone believes, ‘Oh no, I've touched this substance and I've heard that I can have an overdose on on this substance just by touching it,’ they might start hyperventilating, their heart rate will increase, they will have what is a panic attack and can pass out. That’s what people are seeing when folks are suffering those events.”
WHERE TO GET HELP FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER?
Those who may be struggling with addiction are encouraged to connect with Michigan National Rehab. Other services are available at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (1-888-733-7753) and the MSP Angel Program.
