“This drug has been linked to several overdose deaths,” Betz said in a release.
The coroner’s office is now testing a number of recent death cases where carfentanil is suspected.
Carfentanil is an analog of fentanyl, a schedule II drug, which has been used at an alarming rate in the Dayton region, Betz said. Carfentanil often resembles powder cocaine or heroin, but has also been seen in counterfeit pharmaceutical preparations and spray, according to a media release.
In the first six months of 2016, the rate of fentanyl cases has exceeded that of the entire span of 2015.
“Anyone who handles these drugs could unknowingly risk toxic exposure through inhalation or absorption,” Betz said.
Side effects of fentanyl analogs include itching, nausea, disorientation, sedation, serious respiratory depression and cardiac arrest.
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