(Keep reading: Fentanyl: Is the country’s public health at risk from this drug?)
Opioid receptors are proteins located in the cell membranes of neurons and have a fundamental role in the regulation of pain and analgesic responses.
“Overdose occurs when a drug causes serious side effects,” notes the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
As explained by the doctor, Laura Osorio, fentanyl is a substance frequently used in the field of anestheology and that works as a powerful depressant for the nervous system. And it is that this drug, created to calm the pain of cancer patients, has a sedative power 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
“It is more potent than morphine because it adheres to or locates more easily at mu receptors, which is where most opioids act. That is, they are more attracted to the receptor than morphine and this intensity is 100 times more potent. It has greater analgesic and sedation power,” says Osorio.
(You may be interested in: Fentanyl in Colombia: what is behind the government’s concern for this drug)
However, fentanyl also has significant side effects due to its action on other areas of the nervous system. It can cause depression of the respiratory system, which means that the rate and depth of breathing decreases. This is a significant overdose risk, as a high dose of fentanyl can lead to severe suppression of respiration, which in extreme cases can be fatal.
Additionally, fentanyl can create a feeling of euphoria and relaxation, making it susceptible to abuse and addiction. Its potency is much higher than that of other opioids, such as morphine or oxycodone, increasing the risk of dependence and tolerance in a shorter period of time.
In fact, it was thanks to this that its medical prescription became popular in the United States legally and illegally, and then it began to be mixed with other drugs.
At this point, it is key to note that the illegally manufactured fentanyl (IMF) that is consumed in the northern giant is not the same as that used in the medical field. The IMF involves variations or analogues of the original substance, which, in many cases, ends up causing deaths.
In fact, a 2017 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that between 2012 and 2016 more than 12 fentanyl analogues have entered the illicit opioid market, among which are “acetylfentanyl, butyrfentanil, furanylfentanyl and ocfentanil”.
For all of the above, it is important to note that fentanyl is a controlled substance due to its potentially dangerous properties and its potential for abuse. The appropriate use of fentanyl is restricted to specific medical situations under the supervision of a healthcare professional, and its abuse or misuse can have serious consequences for health and life.
** With information from Edwin Caicedo – EL TIEMPO
