Quick info

Fentanyl is an analgesic used to treat very severe and chronic pain and belongs to the group of opioid analgesics. Opioids are chemically synthesized substances that have the same mechanism of action as natural opiates (morphine and codeine). Fentanyl has an effect up to 100 times stronger than morphine and is one of the strongest painkillers available.
Fentanyl has a strong analgesic and sedative effect and is effective in the smallest doses. However, its euphoric effect is less pronounced than that of other opioids. It is used in emergency medicine for surgical procedures and anesthesia, and for breakthrough pain in cancer patients. For chronic pain, fentanyl patches are used, which release the active ingredient slowly. Due to its opioid properties, fentanyl rapidly leads to dependence when taken over a long period of time and should not be discontinued abruptly and only under medical supervision.
Onset of effect
Injected: after a few seconds
Swallowed and snorted: after approx. 15 - 30 minutes
Patch: after approx. 2 - 4 hours
Duration of action
Swallowed and snorted: approx. 1 - 4 hours
Patch: the active ingredient is delivered during 48 - 72 hours
Light: 10 - 25 µg
Medium: 25 - 50 µg
Strong: 50 - 75 µg
Fentanyl is extremely potent and therefore very difficult to dose. Therefore, overdoses can easily occur. For first-time use, doses should be low, as the risk of respiratory arrest is increased.
Appearances
As infusion solution (emergency medicine), lozenges, nasal spray, patches and in powder form.
Risks
The side effects are strongly dose-dependent. As the dose increases, the side effects also become more pronounced. At the beginning there is often drowsiness, dizziness, dizziness, pupil constriction, slowed heartbeat, drop in blood pressure, nausea and vomiting.
Excessive sweating, rashes, itching, central dullness, confusion, visual disturbances, cardiac arrhythmias, respiratory reflex depression and urinary retention may also occur.
Overdose
Overdoses with fentanyl are life-threatening because the substance, like all opioids, slows down breathing, even to the point of respiratory arrest and coma.
Long-term risks/consequences
Regular, abusive use of fentanyl can lead to dependence with severe withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, sleep disorders and depression. Withdrawal, as with all opioids, should not be abrupt and should only take place under medical supervision.
In addition to the deliberate consumption of fentanyl by users, there is a risk that fentanyl will be used as an extender in illegal substances (especially heroin and other opioids, but also cocaine). Unconscious use carries considerable risks of (fatal) overdoses, as fentanyl is effective in significantly lower doses than heroin, for example.
As the Taliban government in Afghanistan is successfully combating opium poppy cultivation - according to the UNODC, the area under cultivation has been greatly reduced - illegal substances laced with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids could also appear on the Swiss drug market in the future. The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) estimates that synthetic opioids are currently still of relatively minor importance in Europe, but could pose a growing threat to users and public health in the future.
LSD analogues are substances that are chemically very similar to LSD and can have comparable effects. Some of them have been known for a long time (e.g. ALD52, ETH-LAD, AL-LAD, PRO-LAD etc.) and have been studied pharmacologically as well as psychopharmacologically, at least in part. Others are newer "creations" (e.g. the derivatives 1P-LSD,1B-LSD, 1cP-LSD, 1V-LSDetc.), for which only few or no data are available. Certain LSD analogues can (still) be legally produced, traded and consumed in some countries, which is the main reason for their distribution.
Most LSD analogues are naturally different from LSD in their effect and/or potency (e.g. ETH-LAD, AL-LAD, LSZ etc.). In contrast, the so-called 1-acylated LSD compounds (e.g. 1P-LSD, 1V-LSD, 1B-LSD, ALD-52, etc.) are presumed, on the basis of pharmacological studies, to convert into LSD in the body (they function as so-called prodrugs) and thus have a comparable psychoactive effect to LSD.
In the case of prodrugs of LSD and LSD analogues, it has not been conclusively clarified whether, in addition to their psychoactive effect, they can produce other pharmacological effects. How potent these prodrugs are compared to the resulting substance (e.g., 1P-LSD to LSD), and to what extent a delay in onset of action occurs in each case, may be substance-dependent and cannot be generalized. Therefore, it is important to approach the dose/effect carefully to avoid overdoses.
If you or someone else needs urgent help after taking drugs or alcohol, call an ambulance on 144. Tell the emergency responders everything you know.
It could save lives.