Friday, 20 September 2024

Police In Florida Reportedly Discover Synthetic Opioid Approximately 50 Times Stronger Than Fentanyl

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West Palm Beach police reportedly have seized a synthetic opioid that’s approximately 50 times as strong as fentanyl.

It’s known on the streets as “ISO.”

“An internal medicine physician at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, Dr. Pedram Rad, says N-Desethyl Isotonitazene is about 800 times more potent than morphine,” WPBF reports.

“West Palm Beach police confiscated $1.6 million worth of N-Desethyl Isotonitazene, commonly known as ISO, during a raid, according to WPBF. Authorities found the dangerous drug in powder, pill, and brick form while executing search warrants at a home and a storage unit earlier in July,” Chuck Callesto writes.

“‘[The substances] came back as 50 times more potent than normal fentanyl that we normally deal with,’ Lt. Joe Herb said. ‘Fentanyl is normally very dangerous. Now, we’re talking about 50 times stronger.’ Police revealed the only other time they heard of ISO being found before this bust was in Philadelphia,” he added.

“As scary as it sounds, it’s not surprising that that’s where these synthetic opioids are going,” Rad said, according to WPBF.

“This drug is actually about 60 to 70 years old. It was developed initially as a medication for pain control, and it was never approved by the FDA in the United States,” he added.

WATCH:

Per WPBF:

Doctors say the synthetic opioid is a different compound than fentanyl, but like fentanyl, it’s being found in other illegal drugs.

Dr. Olayemi Osiyemi, an infectious disease doctor with St. Mary’s Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center and Jupiter Medical Center explains why drugs like iso are so dangerous.

“They have the potential to slow down the heart and respiration and can cause brain damage or people can die from it, so when you’re using this on the street where it’s not controlled, and you don’t know what dose you’re getting those are the things that can happen to you,” Osiyemi said. “The strength of these drugs could potentially put someone in a coma and kill them very quickly.”

“When you combine becoming altered and becoming a little sedated and sleepy with the fact that you’re not going to breathing as you would be normally when you would be sleeping — the amount of oxygen in their blood is going to go down, with that oxygen going down, your body goes into shock, your heart can stop, you can stop breathing, you can have seizures,” Rad said.

While doctors say avoiding using drugs is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from ISO and a hospital setting is the best place to treat anyone who has taken ISO, people can also now buy NARCAN over the counter, which could make a difference.

Daily Mail reports:

Medical experts advise taking anyone who may have ingested ISO to the hospital for treatment and to keep NARCAN on hand.

‘They have the potential to slow down the heart and respiration and can cause brain damage or people can die from it, so when you’re using this on the street where it’s not controlled, and you don’t know what dose you’re getting those are the things that can happen to you,’ said Dr. Olayemi Osiyemi, an infectious disease doctor with St. Mary’s Medical Center.

‘The strength of these drugs could potentially put someone in a coma and kill them very quickly.’

A recent CDC report found there were a record 107,941 deaths from overdoses in 2022, which is the most recent data available — the equivalent of 295 fatalities per day and up one percent on the year before.

Fentanyl was the main force behind the surge — which is fatal in even in tiny doses — with the illicit drug behind nearly 70 percent of the fatalities.

Provisional figures for 2023 suggest the epidemic is continuing to rise, with 110,640 fatalities estimated for the 12 months to October that year.


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