• 8/4/2007
  • Kansas City, MO
  • staff
  • www.myfoxkc.com

An ugly trend is starting to show itself in Kansas City. The painkiller fentanyl is so strong, just a little bit can kill you.

Fentanyl is usually prescribed for cancer patients in severe pain, but across the country, people are getting their hands it and overdosing. So far it’s not as prevalent in Kansas City, but that may be changing.

The drug is prescribed at the Kansas City Cancer Center, to patients with severe pain.

“When you start these medications you really do start at a low dose and work your way up,” Dr. Marcus Neubauer said.

That’s because it’s so strong: 100 times more potent than morphine.

“So if someone’s used to using say 15 milligrams of morphine, 15 milligrams of this, excellent potential they’ll overdose,” Don Mendrala, assistant Special Agent in charge with the DEA said.

Prescribed most commonly as a patch, Mendrala, says it’s easily abused.

“It can be cut up and just put under the tongue like a lozenge,” Mendrala said.

The drug is strictly regulated because it’s so strong, so only patients and doctors have access.

“It’s in the hospitals, it’s in legitimate use, the problem we’ve encountered here is diversion of the regular pharmaceutical fentanyl, it’s not been a big problem, but it happens,” Mendrala said.

Problem is, Mendrala says, users don’t know how strong the drug is.

“It’s just so potent,” he said. “When we have to deal with it, we’ll deal with it like it’s a hazardous chemical. Suits, breathing apparatus, it’s that strong.”

Officers in other cities have nearly died after handling fentanyl, thinking it was another drug.

“They’ve overdosed because you pick this stuff up and it’s on the packaging, you breathe into it with the dust when it’s moved around and it’s that strong,” Mendrala said.

Mendrala said fentanyl is most commonly abused by heroin addicts and heroin is not a prevalent drug in Kansas City, but he says you never know when a trend can take hold.