What does Fentanyl smell like?
Fentanyl is an extremely powerful opioid drug. The synthetic substance has been long associated with the decades-long drug overdose epidemic in the United States. According to the California Department of Public Health, fentanyl-related deaths for young people aged 18-39 skyrocketed from 36 in 2018 to 261 in 2020. And according to data from the California Department of Justice, in 2020, an estimated 4000 deaths were attributed to fentanyl overdoses. Fentanyl is largely responsible for more than 70,000 overdose deaths in 2021 alone.
Fentanyl is about 100 times more powerful and potent than morphine, another popular opioid medication. It is often mixed in with other street drugs including heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and counterfeit medication pills such as Xanax and Adderall. Though substance addiction and overdose do not discriminate, the rise in fentanyl-associated deaths has majorly affected teens and young adults. When abused, it can produce intense feelings of euphoria, pain relief, drowsiness and sedation.
What makes fentanyl so dangerous? It is a drug that is tasteless and odorless. Meaning it can be extremely difficult to identify.
What is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used to treat extreme and chronic pain. The Schedule II Controlled Substance is available as a prescription medication where patients are closely monitored. Fentanyl works by binding to the opioid receptors in the brain that block pain receptors and produce feelings of pain relief, sedation and relaxation. It is an extremely potent and addictive drug. A fatal overdose of fentanyl can occur with just 2mg of powder. That is enough to fit the tip of a pencil.
Side Effects of Fentanyl Abuse
- Confusion
- Constipation
- Extreme drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Difficulty breathing and respiratory depression
Side Effects of Fentanyl Overdose
- Slow or weak breathing
- Slow or weak heart rate
- Limp body
- Pale blue lips, hands and nails
- Cold and clammy skin
- Small pupils
- Unconsciousness
What does Fentanyl look like?
Fentanyl is made available in two main forms: liquids and powders. Liquid fentanyl can be found in injectables, nasal sprays and eye drops. Powder fentanyl can be found in powder or pill form. Fentanyl can also be found in skin patches. Illicit manufacturing of fentanyl has created various forms of the drug in order to easily mix into other substances and be available in various forms of drug intake.
When fentanyl is mixed in with other substances, it often creates an off-brown color. This can be one way to visually identify the drug. However, this is not always the case. Powdered fentanyl is usually white and can be made to look similar to other drugs and can easily be mistaken for heroin or cocaine. Powdered fentanyl can also be made to look like other prescription pills: Xanax and Percocet.
Other ways illicit drug manufacturers produce the drug is by creating colorful and pastel-colored fentanyl pills. These pills are often very colorful, are imprinted with fun designs and are often used to target a younger audience. They are known as rainbow pills. The pills are mixed with colored dyes, and other substances and can be sold as pressed pills or even blocks that resemble sidewalk chalk.
What does Fentanyl smell like? What does Fentanyl taste like?
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to recognize fentanyl just by tasting it or smelling it. Fentanyl is an odorless and tasteless substance. Often times it is mixed in with other substances that can are also odorless and tasteless. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even other illicit drugs that can contain deadly amounts of fentanyl are undetectable through smell and taste.
There have been recent claims that if fentanyl is burned, it can smell like popcorn. However, there is no evidence proving this claim. In a 2017 study, some participants claimed the fentanyl-laced substance tasted sweet compared to the bitterness of heroin. However, this may be caused by the way in which the fentanyl was synthesized or the presence of an added sugar diluent such as lactose. When it is combined with other substances, some have also claimed it to smell like sweet vinegar. And in some cases, a distinct smell might be detected. But that is most likely a result of the manufacturing process and not from the actual drug itself.
It is well recognized by the medical and scientific community to be odorless and tasteless. This makes the drug dangerous. You won’t know if the substance you are taking is laced with fentanyl, how much of the drug is present and how much you can potentially be ingesting.
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Fentanyl Test Strips
Since you cannot rely on taste or smell to identify fentanyl, the only way is through chemical detection. Fentanyl test strips can detect fentanyl and can detect the presence of fentanyl in other drugs such as cocaine, meth, pill and powders. Test strips are the most effective and the most affordable way to check for the opioid substance. Test strips can help keep users safe and prevent overdose death.
The test strips cost about $1 per strip. The one downside to the chemical detection tool is that it is unable to tell you how much fentanyl is present in the substance. It cannot tell you if it’s safe to consume or if you might be exposed to an illegal or lethal dose of the synthetic opioid.
How to use the Test Strip
- Place a small amount of the drug into a sterile dry container
- Add water to the container and mix in the contents
- Place the wavy end of the test strip into the water and leave it soaked for about 15 seconds
- Take the strip out and lay it on a clean flat surface for about 2-5 minutes
- If the results are positive, a single pink line on the left side will indicate the presence of fentanyl in the test sample
- If the results are negative, two pink lines on the right side will indicate no fentanyl is present
- If your test comes up null, there will be a single pink line on the right side or no lines, indicating a null result and the need to retest
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Treatment of Fentanyl Abuse and Addiction
Fentanyl is one of the most powerful and addictive drugs on the market and is currently associated with a decades-long wave of overdose deaths in the U.S. It is often produced illegally at a low cost, making it affordable and effective for mixing in with other illicit substances to maximize drug profits. Its odorless and tasteless characteristics can make it difficult to identify. This ultimately makes it dangerous because users are unaware of what they might be ingesting and how much of it they might be ingesting. This poses an increased risk of overdose and death. Behavioral health treatment programs such as Hotel California by the Sea provide help for those who have an addiction to the powerful opioid substance.
We provide treatment at all levels of care including detox, residential, partial hospitalization program and intensive outpatient programs. In addition to medication-assisted treatments, we also utilize behavioral therapies including CBT, DBT and EMDR therapy. The combination of treatments provides a holistic approach to overcoming your addiction. Hotel California by the Sea is dedicated to helping all our clients reach their recovery goals and live a happier life in sobriety.
References:
https://purposehealingcenter.com/what-do-drugs-smell-like/fentanyl
https://recovered.org/opioids/fentanyl/what-does-it-look-smell-taste-like
https://www.bicyclehealth.com/opioid-education/fentanyl/identifying
https://www.addictiongroup.org/blog/what-fentanyl-looks-like/