Fentanyl is a painkiller 70 times stronger than morphine. Its euphoria-producing effects have made it a common illicit drug. But 2 mg is enough to kill you.
As a medication, fentanyl subdues and reduces pain. But its consumption has to be strictly monitored — when fentanyl is consumed as an illicit drug, it impairs a person’s awareness, and can lead to slow breathing, comatosed states, and death in the worst cases.
More than 70,000 people died in 2021 alone as a result of fentanyl use in the USA. It is highly addictive.
When is fentanyl used in medicine?
Fentanyl is used in the care of cancer patients as they approach the end of their lives. It is also used to treat pain after serious surgical operations.
It is stronger and more effective than other opiate painkillers, like morphine, oxycodone (more commonly known by its product name, Oxycontin), and hydromorphone. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, another common illicit opiate drug.
Since it affects the central nervous system, fentanyl is also used as an anesthetic before an operation. It puts patients into a deep sleep-like state, in which they relax and feel no pain. The dose of the drug depends on the severity and the duration of the operation.
Because fentanyl can cause respiratory depression (slow or ineffective breathing and reduced oxygen supply in the body), the dose of the drug must be carefully monitored by doctors and other medical personnel. They are there to ensure that the patient’s organs, like the heart and brain, receive enough oxygen.
