How to identify and what to do in case of fentanyl overdose

He fentanyl is a synthetic drug which, according to the CDC, kills 150 people daily in the United States (United States), moreover, in Mexico it is one of the factors that generate violence in almost all the national territory, since its commercialization has strengthened the main Mexican cartels.

This is why the governments of Mexico and the United States embarked on a bilateral program in which it is promised to fight against the transfer of drugs, in particular, the fentanyl, since with the detention of this illegal drug, on one side of the border, it would solve the health problem derived from overdose deaths; while on the other side, the main generators of violence would be weakened.

To understand how the phenomenon of consumption, addiction and death by fentanyl develops, it is necessary to understand what this drug is, the two types that exist, its addictive factor and how to operate between its consumption. In this logic, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCfor its acronym in English) indicated how to identify a fentanyl overdose and what to do.

The US agency defines fentanyl as “a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine” and that it is these characteristics that lead to thousands of people falling victim to ‘overdose.

According to the CDC there are two types of fentanyl: that of use pharmacist and the illegal. Both are considered synthetic opioids, but the drug “is prescribed by doctors to treat the Severe painespecially after an operation and in advanced stages of cancer”, this is to avoid the pain that these conditions cause.

In the illegal field, that which is linked to the 100,000 annual deaths in the United States, it is pointed out that producers often add other drugs, making them cheaper, more potent, addictive and dangerous. In fact, it is estimated that more than 150 people die every day from the consumption of this substance.

The first thing the CDC suggests is having the ability to identify a fentanyl overdose, which is why it pointed to seven characteristics that can reveal this condition:

1. Students small, contracted, like the tip of a pin.

2. Stay asleep or lose consciousness.

3. Breathing slow, weak or non-existent breathing.

4. Sounds of attraction.

5. Flaccidity in the body.

6. Fur cold or wet and sticky.

7. Tasks on the skin (especially on the lips and nails).

As soon as a possible overdose of fentanyl is detected, the American agency suggests acting quickly to save the life of the person affected. In this sense, he highlighted five steps:

1. Call the emergency number for professional help.

2. If possible, administer naloxone (Naloxone is a drug that can reverse an overdose of opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications.)

3. Try to keep the person awake and breathing.

4. Position the person next to to avoid choking.

5. Stay with the person until help arrives.

Remember that in Mexico, the consumption of fentanyl does not represent a health problem as in the United States; however, there have already been instances of consumption in border towns like Tijuana, Baja California. So the president’s government Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) began to take action on this.

For example, the President of Mexico has raised the possibility of removing fentanyl from the national pharmaceutical market and replacing it with other painkillers. “I will ask Mexican doctors and scientists to analyze the possibility of replacing fentanyl for medical purposes for other painkillers to stop using it, to see if it’s possible, ”he said during the morning of this Wednesday, March 15.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) recalled that in April this year, the security cabinets of the two countries will meet in Washington to solve the fentanyl problem.