According to the authors, there were at least 1,000 fentanyl-related deaths in the United States between 2005 to 2007, and an outbreak of fentanyl-laced counterfeit Xanax led to the deaths of two people this past winter. Due to its higher potency, however, it’s much easier to overdose on, sometimes fatally. In recent years, however, black market drug producers have used fentanyl as a discreet replacement or additive for heroin and other illicit drugs. “Opioid abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States despite prevention strategies at federal, state, and local levels, deaths caused by ingestion of opioid analgesics continue.”įentanyl is among the most powerful opioids available, often only legally used to treat people with severe pain or who have become tolerant to other narcotics - the synthetic drug normally can’t be even taken orally. “The distribution of counterfeit medications, especially those containing fentanyl, is an emerging and serious public health threat,” the authors wrote. These cases, 12 in total, were also tied to fake Norco pills. The outbreak, which lasted for two weeks from March 25 to April 5, followed an even larger rash of fentanyl poisonings in nearby Sacramento County that began March 23.

Though the hapless customers thought they were taking a moderately strong prescription opioid medication known as Norco, they actually ingested fentanyl - an opioid 80 times more potent than even morphine. It’s a case of mistaken identity that’s landing people in the emergency room.Īccording to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this Tuesday, at least seven San Francisco Bay Area residents have sought medical help in the past month after having taken illicitly bought counterfeit painkillers.

Fake norco