The following are the risks involved with mixing fentanyl and other substances:

 

Fentanyl and Heroin

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Fentanyl and heroin are two highly potent, harmful, and addictive opioids. While heroin is manufactured from the resin of the poppy plant and refined from morphine, it becomes a psychoactive drug that may be smoked, sniffed, injected, or snorted. Fentanyl, on the other hand, is an additional booster that escalates the mixture's effects and strength.

 

Heroin mixed with fentanyl has a chance of killing its victims in minutes without even showing any signs of an overdose. Though heroin might prompt a user to overdose, mixing fentanyl eliminates such an outcome. While it is hard to notice fentanyl mixed with heroin since both have similar appearances, fentanyl is primarily white while heroin is yellow.

 

Fentanyl and Cocaine

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Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system and increases feelings of alertness, euphoria, and well-being. The drug also increases blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, and oxygen needs. Using cocaine alone is dangerous since it strains your heart from the increased respiratory rate and blood pressure.

 

Vital organs such as the brain receive low blood levels from the constricted blood flow, increasing the high risk of strokes from a cocaine overdose. Fentanyl combined with cocaine has a much more lethal effect on these functions than cocaine alone.

 

Fentanyl and Other Medical Prescriptions

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A doctor prescribing fentanyl and other medications risk exposing a patient to severe effects of fentanyl and other prescribed medications. Combining opioids and fentanyl is risky and becomes even more dangerous when mixing fentanyl and other drugs that impact brain activity like benzodiazepines.

 

Fentanyl Overdose

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Using drugs like benzodiazepines is already dangerous on its own due to the effect they have on the GABA receptors in your brain. However, mixing such drugs and fentanyl is lethal since fentanyl will slow down the respiratory system leading to an overdose that might cause death.

 

Someone who suffers from a fentanyl overdose might experience the following symptoms:

 

• Pinpoint pupils.

• Difficulty breathing, walking and speaking due to Central Nervous System depression

• A prolonged heart rate may lead to a cardiac arrest when not treated fast enough

• Severe respiratory depression

• Cardiovascular issues 

• Low blood pressure

• Drowsiness

• Dizziness

• Nausea and vomiting

• Limp body

• Changes in pupillary size

• Clammy and cold skin

• Blue-colored fingernails and lips(cyanosis)

• Stopped or slowed breathing

• Decreased heart rate

• Loss of or reduced consciousness

• Coma