The Oneida County Overdose Response Team is issuing a Drug Threat Advisory for Carfentanil, which has been detected in three local drug lab tests for Helio Health.

Carfentanil is a synthetic or man-made opioid that is 10,000 times more powerful that morphine and 100 times more potent than Fentanyl and is used to tranquilize large animals like elephants.

Officials say a dose the size of a grain of salt can quickly lead to an overdose and death.

They say Carfentanil is so potent that it causes a rapid overdose which may not be reversible even with multiple doses of Narcan or treatment.

Some of the most common symptoms of an overdose are:

 •             Pupil constriction

•             Shallow breathing (respiratory depression)

•             Loss of consciousness

“We work closely with our Opioid Task Force partners to monitor drug trends so we can alert the community of any potential emerging drug threats,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony  Picente. “We do not yet know the full extent of the presence of Carfentanil in the local drug supply, however, because it is so lethal even to handle, we want to make sure that people who use drugs, first responders and other providers are alerted immediately so they can take precautions to protect themselves."

 

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