The Invention of Fentanyl Fentanyl, which is a highly potent and dangerous opioid, has emerged as a primary cause of recent drug overdoses. The drug was initially made in 1959 and introduced in the 1960s as an arterial painkiller. The deadly drug is legally made and sold in the United States. Illicit fentanyl medicine is distributed by stealing, false prescriptions, and illegal distribution by patients, physicians, and pharmacists (“Fentanyl”). Diving into the characteristics of fentanyl, its illicit usage, effects, and strategies for preventing overdoses deepens our understanding of the necessity to limit its availability within our society. Fentanyl is a deadly drug created in 1959 by Dr. Paul Janssen that has killed approximately 250,000…show more content… They are both considered synthetic opioids. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed by professionals and doctors to treat severe pain, especially after surgery and advanced-stage cancer (“Fentanyl Facts”). Fentanyl addicts who stop using the drug have severe withdrawal symptoms that begin within a few hours after taking it. The symptoms include muscle and bone pain, sleep problems, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goosebumps, uncontrollable leg movements, and severe cravings (“Fentanyl Drug Facts”). The main effects of fentanyl high include extreme happiness, drowsiness, nausea, confusion, constipation, sedation, breathing problems, and unconsciousness. Following a fentanyl high, if an overdose occurs, the visual symptoms may be alarming, but prompt recognition could potentially save a life. The visual signs of a fentanyl overdose include small, constricted “pinpoint pupils,” falling asleep or losing consciousness, slow, weak, or absent breathing, choking or gurgling sounds, limp body, cold and clammy skin, and discolored skin, particularly around the lips and nails (“Fentanyl Facts”). Recognizing these signs indicates the need for immediate medical…show more content… Pharmaceutical fentanyl is fentanyl that a doctor or other professional prescribes to treat severe pains like advanced-stage cancer and after-surgery pain. Alternatively, illegally manufactured fentanyl refers to a variant produced and distributed by locals who lack knowledge of the drug, selling it for financial gain (“Fentanyl Drug Facts”). Today, internet accessibility allows individuals, small-scale drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), and large-scale DTOs with their production power to invade the illegal drug market with fentanyl. After purchase, the drugs are delivered through standard mail to the United States from places as far as China (“Fentanyl Analogs”). In countless cases, these drug dealers have no clue where or how their drugs are made, or what they might be laced with. Most recent cases of fentanyl-related overdoses are directly linked to illicit fentanyl, which is made through illegal drug markets for heroin-like effects. It is often added to other drugs in illegal labs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive, and way more dangerous (“Drug Fact
