Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl (IMF)

As we are in the midst of an opioid crisis, the Texas Pain Society urges everyone to be aware of the dangers and potentially fatal results of using/trying illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF).

 Fentanyl...

  • is a synthetic opioid 
  • can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin / 100 times stronger than morphine
  • is divided up into two categories: pharmaceutical fentanyl (prescribed by doctors for pain) and illicitly manufactured fentanyl or IMF (which is responsible for the majority of fentanyl-related overdoses)

Read more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Symptoms of a fentanyl overdose include...

  • small “pinpoint" pupils
  • pale, cold, and/or clammy skin 
  • limp body 
  • blue/purple fingernails and/or lips 
  • vomiting 

If someone is exhibiting one or more of these symptoms...

  • call 911
  • try to wake them up
  • given them naloxone
Learn more from Texas Health and Human Services. 


Read more from NEXT Distro.   

Find more fentanyl resources via the Texas Medical Association and further opioid epidemic information on the TPS Blog.