Drugs: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (A Four-Part Series for Parents with Teens)

Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is used to treat acute and/or chronic pain. It is 100 times stronger than morphine. Carfentanil is also a synthetic opioid and it is 10 000 times stronger than morphine, and one of the scariest drugs that our children will be exposed to because of its suppression of their respiratory system. One kilogram of fentanyl can kill 500 000 people. A teen can overdose and die with a dose of fentanyl the size of five grains of salt.

To make it worse, most illicit drugs are mixed with various other drugs that also cause respiratory depression. Essentially, illicit drugs like carfentanil, also known as downers, tell your brain to breath less and eventually to stop breathing. In the last five years there has been a 113% increase in death from overdose in youth age 10-19.

What Can We Do?

Having a conversation with your teen about the reality and dangers of “trying downers” is key. Trying carfentanil or fentanyl is not like trying cannabis. The risk is too high, which is a difficult concept for teens to accept. Educate your teens on how to use a naltrexone kit and making it available for them for their safety and that of their friends. Having a naltrexone kit does not increase their risk of trying illicit substances, but it will save a life as the purity or strength of each illicit substance varies by the week, colour, and from dealer to dealer. You never know what you are going to get when trying illicit substances and even though your teen might not be seeking out fentanyl there is a 42% chance of other substances being laced with fentanyl. Without naltrexone or immediate medical help, they can overdose and die. 

These are very difficult conversations to have with our loved ones, but necessary in our current landscape of illicit substances. Take care.

 

Becky Morrison is a Nurse Practitioner based out of Calgary who has specialized in mental health for over a decade. She is finally, after years of infertility, a mother of two busy little boys, and doting fur mom of her gentle giant, Stella. She is, and always will be, a strong advocate for mental wellness at all ages.