In 2023, the Boulder County community of Colorado recorded two unique opioid-related deaths. Upon further investigation, officials found that the victims had consumed a newly modified, powerful synthetic opioid called nitazene. Because the type of nitazene currently on the market is so new, it was a breakthrough that healthcare workers detected the drug at all. Most labs and testing facilities are unable to identify it in patients. When Colorado understood how nitazene played a pivotal role in the deaths, healthcare professionals were able to link it to over 200 other nitazene-related deaths in the U.S., Canada, and Europe in recent years.
What Exactly is Nitazene and Why Now?
Nitazenes are synthetic opioid-based substances. People create them in laboratories to affect the brain in the same ways that natural, plant-based opioids like heroin do. Nitazenes cause users to feel any of the following:
- Extreme relaxation/euphoria
- Instantaneous pain relief
- Drowsiness
- Slowed breathing and sedation
- Vomiting, nausea, dizziness, and confusion
Methadone and fentanyl are prime synthetic opioid examples. Just like methadone and fentanyl, nitazenes are not in and of themselves new. They’ve been around for decades. However, their newer version is reported to be as strong and deadly as fentanyl—if not more so.
When researchers created Nitazene over 60 years ago, they refused to release it to the legal pharmaceutical market due to its lethal overdose potential. Officials aren’t entirely certain as to why, after decades of circulation, this substance is just now gaining popularity. Some investigators claim that people who supply and sell nitazene are sourcing it from Chinese markets and have been recorded doing so since at least 2022.
While most researchers don’t fully understand its history and trajectory, nitazene appears to be yet another offshoot problem created by the opioid epidemic. Most people who consume nitazene are doing so in the same ways as they are fentanyl: in pill form. Drug dealers mix synthetic opioids with any number of drugs that they sell without any way to detect lethal mixtures outside of a medical laboratory. A consistent element of this eerily familiar problem is that people simply don’t realize that their illicit drugs could be laced with synthetic opioids like nitazene. At the same time, many people struggle so acutely with addiction that they can’t register the danger of nitazene even if they know it could be present.
Nitazene: The New Synthetic Opioid With Lethal Power in Pennsylvania
Until recently, the use of nitazene appeared to be sporadically concentrated across North America. Researchers saw a few deaths in Colorado, others in Illinois, and another few in Tennessee. Now it’s become clear that the synthetic substance is present in the tri-state area, and more specifically—in Philadelphia itself.
Philly health officials want everyone to know the following about Nitazene, so that they can educate themselves and their loved ones and actively participate in overdose prevention:
- Nitazene is virtually undetectable when bought on the streets
- Nitazene, when formulated in a specific way, can be up to 40 times stronger than fentanyl
- The substance can create a more intense withdrawal even in people who are accustomed to fentanyl withdrawal
- Fentanyl testing strips cannot identify nitazene
- There are currently loopholes in illicit drug laws that may not penalize the consumption or sale of deadly nitazene analogues, making it harder to address their supply and distribution
- People who have overdosed on nitazene analogues may often need several doses of naloxone, a drug used to revive people who have overdosed on opioids
Understanding the danger of nitazene and spreading that knowledge can assist a nationwide effort to prevent the substance from becoming another commonly abused opioid in Pennsylvania. It’s also important to help people understand the effectiveness of residential treatment for substance use disorder, which can help those who have become addicted to opioids safely break their dependence and enter long-term recovery.
Get Help For Nitazene Addiction With St. Joseph Institute in Port Matilda
St. Joseph’s has, for many years, expertly treated people suffering from addiction to opioids and other substances. Our opioid treatment program is staffed by a team of caring professionals who create individualized treatment plans for our residents. If you’re concerned for yourself or a loved one, contact us at our facility today.
