Fentanyl

What is fentanyl?

Doctors typically approve pharmaceutical fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, for treating severe pain, often advanced cancer pain. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Doctors prescribe it in the form of transdermal patches or lozenges, and individuals can divert it for misuse and abuse in the United States.

However, the majority of recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose, and death in the U.S. stem from illegally manufactured fentanyl.2 Illegal drug markets distribute it for its heroin-like effect. Often, individuals mix it with heroin and/or cocaine as a combination product—whether the user is aware of it or not—to enhance its euphoric effects.

Deaths involving illicitly manufactured fentanyl are on the rise

Rates of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone, which includes fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, increased over 22% from 2020 to 2021. The rate of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2021 was nearly 22 times the rate in 2013. Nearly 71,000 drug overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids other than methadone in 2021. The latest provisional drug overdose death counts suggest overdose deaths accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What can be done?

The increase in overdose deaths highlights the need to ensure people most at risk of overdose can access care, as well as the need to expand prevention and response activities. CDC issued a Health Alert Network Advisory to medical and public health professionals, first responders, harm reduction organizations, and other community partners recommending the following actions as appropriate based on local needs and characteristics:

• Expand distribution and use of naloxone and overdose prevention education
• Expand awareness about and access to and availability of treatment for substance use disorders
• Intervene early with individuals at highest risk for overdose
• Improve detection of overdose outbreaks to facilitate more effective response