Missouri health officials are raising concerns about a powerful new drug showing up in the state’s illegal opioid supply, as overdose deaths remain a major issue.
Close to 2,000 Missourians have died from drug overdoses in recent years. Experts say a class of synthetic opioids known as nitazenes is now being detected - and they’re far more potent than fentanyl.
Derrick Wilson, overdose prevention coordinator for APO Community Health Center in Springfield, said that strength is what makes them so dangerous.
"It's stronger than fentanyl," said Wilson, "and we’re talking five to nine times, up to ten times more potent than fentanyl, and potentially hundreds of times stronger than morphine."
As nitazenes spread across Missouri, health experts say a critical tool for preventing overdose deaths remains widely available. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, can still reverse overdoses, but Wilson noted that stronger drugs may require multiple doses of the antidote.
With nitazenes now showing up in Missouri’s drug supply, health experts say prevention and awareness are critical, especially since users may not know what they’re taking - and Wilson said there is no commercially available, wide-scale test to detect nitazenes.
"We’re coming at a new thing that's laced with old substances that make those much more potent and much more lethal," said Wilson. "And we are all-hands-on-deck trying to scramble to make sure folks have enough Narcan or some type of Naloxone."
He recommended never using alone, starting with small amounts, and making sure someone nearby can respond in case of an overdose.
"Be aware," said Wilson, "that whatever you're about to take in may have more punch to it than you expect."
The Missouri News Service originally published this story and is a partner with KRCU Public Radio.
