Less-known opioids, which are more deadly than fentanyl, have seen an increase in overdose deaths in recent years.
Nitazen, class Synthetic opioidsIt was originally developed as a painkiller in the 1950s, but according to a report by the Inter-American Substance Abuse Control Committee (CICAD), it was never approved for use due to the high risk of overdose.
Since 2019, nitazen (benzimidazole-opioid) has begun to enter the European illicit drug market, where it has been reported on almost every continent.
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CICAD reports suggest that “Nitazen use is on the rise in North America and its availability is likely to be widespread across the US.”
The most common type of nitazen is isotonitazen (ISO), but at least dozens of other types have been identified, the report says.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has set an ISO Schedule 1 medicationalong with seven other Nitazens.
“Nitazen is produced in illegal labs overseas, mainly in places like China and India, and is being trafficked to the US through the same channels used for fentanyl,” Corey Gamberg, licensed alcohol and drug counselor and executive director at the Massachusetts Center for Addiction, told Fox News Digital.
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Experts pointed out that they are synthetic and cheap, making them a popular option for illegal manufacturers.
“As authorities crack down on fentanyl, traffickers pivot on new things Synthetic opioids To avoid enforcement, like Nitazenes,” Gamberg continued.
“These medicines are cheap to make and easy to move around. It’s a pattern we saw before and now it’s repeated itself.”
Nitazen is available in tablets, powders, sprays and other forms. They can be snorted, smoked, injected, or taken verbally.
Some types of nitazens are several times stronger than fentanyl, so the biggest risk is efficacy.
Dr. Jonathan Avery, Vice-Chairman Addiction Psychiatry At the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Nitazen has confirmed that it is hundreds of times stronger than morphine and ten times stronger than fentanyl, and “even fatal.”
In addition to potentially fatal overdose, drugs are known to cause addiction, dizziness, Nausea, vomitingCICAD reports that disorientation, loss of consciousness, cardiac arrest and seizures.
Another problem is that people don’t know that they are usually taking them.
“Nitazen often mixes with heroin, Press pill Or even meth–something might think that someone is using one thing, and they might end up taking something completely different in the end, Gunberg warned.
In addition to the dangers of Nitazen, the tests are very limited, according to Dr. Ryan Marino, a medical toxicologist at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Test strips are available to help people screen powder drugs, pills and more because of the Nitazen presence, but more definitive testing is limited to more advanced toxicology labs and is limited by cost and conversion times,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Test strips are useful, but even postmortem testing is not a definitive way to rule out Nitazen, and even postmortem testing, more advanced testing for Nitazen is not widely available.”
According to Avery, drug screens in everyday hospitals and workplaces do not reliably detect Nitazen.
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“Enforcement is difficult because producers constantly adjust their chemical structures to avoid laws and standardized tests,” he said.
To prevent fatal overdose, Avery sought a specialized test and a rapid drug checking tool to identify Nitazen in street supply.
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“Naloxone (narcane) can reverse nitazen overdose, but multiple doses may be required for its efficacy,” he said.
“Public awareness, widespread naloxone distribution and rapid drug checking are keys to preventing death.”
