Carfentanil, the drug setting off alarms in New York City: "Up to 100 times stronger than fentanyl"

New York City has sounded the alarm. Local authorities this week issued a health warning for two drugs found in the Bronx and Manhattan, one of which is known as carfentanil: a synthetic opioid "up to 100 times stronger than fentanyl." 

Between March and June of this year, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene detected "trace and small amounts" of carfentanil in eight samples sold as opioids, which also had fentanyl in them. Two of them would have allegedly produced "adverse reactions, including overdose."

"Due to its potency, substances containing even small amounts of carfentanil can cause immediate and severe adverse reactions including overdose," officials Rebecca Linn-Walton and Shivani Mantha warned in writing.

The synthetic opioid poses both a risk to consumers - who often purchase it unaware that it contains it - and to officials and first responders. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been warning for years about the danger it poses, asking officers to "carefully follow safety protocols to avoid accidental exposure." 

Like fentanyl, it is treated with naloxone. Symptoms include lethargy, seizures, slow and shallow breathing, among others.

Carfentanil was originally a veterinary drug. However, it is "no longer marketed because it is so dangerous," New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald explained.

A potent and long-lasting sedative

"Medetomidine has also been identified for the first time in the NYC drug supply," health officials wrote in the public notice. Medetomidine is an anesthetic approved by the FDA for veterinary uses. It is not an opioid.

It is, they detailed, more potent and longer-lasting in its effects than xylazine, another animal sedative that is known as the zombie drug. It is often found combined with fentanyl.       

The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education warned in May about the rapid growth of medetomidine, which it explained was first detected in Maryland in late 2022. 

"In cases where medetomidine ingestion is suspected or confirmed, severe adverse effects have been noted, including heightened sedation and profound bradycardia," he explained in a statement.