Unimaginable pain and restlessness. Vomiting so frequent and forceful that it can perforate the esophagus. Blood pressure and heart rate so high that they damage the heart. Sweating that drenches…
Tag: Fentanyl
DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the pros and cons
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced in early 2024 that it would act on President Joe Biden’s call to reclassify marijuana, moving it from the tightly controlled Schedule I category that…
Xylazine wounds are a growing crisis among drug users in Philly − a nurse explains potential causes and proper treatment
Warning: This article contains graphic images. Xylazine or “tranq” wounds – characterized by deep pockets of dead tissue – have become increasingly visible in Philadelphia among people who use drugs.…
New research suggests estrogen and progesterone could play role in opioid addiction and relapse
As opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. rose dramatically from 2014 to today, both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, cemented reputations as hotspots of the crisis. In Philadelphia, over…
Nitazenes found in 5 overdose deaths in Philly – here’s what they are and why they’re so deadly
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office found that nitazenes, a synthetic opioid up to 40 times more powerful than fentanyl, were connected to at least five overdose deaths in Philadelphia in…
Nitazenes are a powerful class of street drugs emerging across the US
Two deaths in Boulder County, Colorado, in 2023 are the latest in the U.S. to be blamed on the powerful class of synthetic opioids called nitazenes. Most health systems cannot…
Dozens of US adolescents are dying from drug overdoses every month − an expert on substance use unpacks the grim numbers with 3 charts
Drug overdose deaths in the United States continue to rise. Overdoses claimed more than 112,000 American lives from May 2022 to May 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control…
Innocent Faces of Fentanyl: Opioid Use Linked to Distinct Birth Anomalies
Summary: Researchers have identified a potential new syndrome in babies born to mothers who used fentanyl during pregnancy. The infants displayed distinctive facial features, small heads, short stature, and various…
What is xylazine? A medical toxicologist explains how it increases overdose risk, and why Narcan can still save a life
The White House officially designated fentanyl adulterated with xylazine as an emerging threat to the U.S. on Apr. 12, 2023. Earlier, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning on…
Increases in opioid overdoses in Pennsylvania varied by county during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the opioid epidemic, according to our new research, which finds that opioid…
