Teens have long experimented with drugs, be it alcohol, marijuana, and sometimes cocaine, ecstasy, or heroin and other opioids. The deaths of two teen boys in Sammamish and another from Ballard High School in Seattle points out the extreme dangers of the modern opioid epidemic.
Authorities say that the deaths were due to fentanyl overdoses. Detectives are investigating where the fentanyl came from. So far in 2019, seven teenagers in King County have died from fentanyl-related overdoses.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that works similarly to morphine and is 50 to 100 times more potent as morphine. It is prescribed by physicians to treat severe pain and is applied as a shot, in a patch that is put on the skin, or as a lozenge.
Most deaths from a fentanyl overdose come from illegally manufactured and distributed fentanyl. Some drug dealers mix fentanyl with other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, to give the drug an extra and cheap “kick.” Drug dealers sell it in the form of a powder, drops on blotter paper, in eye droppers or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids. Local public health authorities say that fentanyl has been found in blue, white and pale green pills stamped with an “M” on one side and a “30” on the other side. Fentanyl pills have also been stamped with K9, 215 and √48.
Fentanyl’s effects can include extreme happiness, drowsiness, nausea, confusion, constipation, sedation, problems breathing, and unconsciousness. A Fentanyl overdose can slow or stop their breathing and can decrease the amount of oxygen in the brain leading to a coma, and permanent brain damage or death, like an opioid or heroin overdose.
Given the potency of fentanyl, a tiny amount can be fatal.
The signs of an overdose include irregular sleep patterns, such as snoring when someone usually does not snore or difficulty in waking someone up. Other symptoms include cold, clammy skin, skin turning blue, coma, and respiratory failure.
Should someone have any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. If available, apply Narcan. Stay with the patient until help arrives.
Fentanyl is serious business. Death due to an overdose can happen quickly.
Obviously, no parent wants their child to go through an experience like a fentanyl overdose. Educating your teenage child about illegal fentanyl should go a long way to help them avoid the pitfalls of this narcotic.
The Seattle Times:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/sammamish-officials-heartbroken-over-deaths-of-2-skyline-high-school-students-who-overdosed-on-fentanyl/
KOMO TV:
https://komonews.com/news/local/ballard-high-school-student-dies-from-accidental-fentanyl-overdose
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids:
https://drugfree.org/parent-blog/fentanyl-synthetic-opioids-5-things-need-know/
National Institute on Drug Abuse:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/fentanyl.html
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