NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A powerful synthetic opioid that's hundreds to thousands of times more potent than morphine is emerging as a new public health threat in Tennessee, where it's been linked to more than 90 deaths.
Nitazenes, a group of synthetic opioids, can be up to 20 times more potent than fentanyl. These drugs are increasingly appearing on Tennessee streets, according to medical experts.
"This is a public health emergency. It's not just about a drug. It's really something that we need everybody to be on the same page about. We need law enforcement. We need medical doctors. We need first responders," Dr. Shravani Durbhakula said.
Durbhakula is the director of comprehensive pain services at Vanderbilt Medical Center.
"So we're talking hundreds to thousands of times more potent than morphine. And even up to 20 times more potent than fentanyl," she said. "There are very few people who are going out trying to get nitazene specifically but it happens to be mixed into these substances that they're actually going out there for."
A pharmaceutical company originally created nitazenes 75 years ago but shelved the drug because it was so potent and deadly, Durbhakula said.
"And back in 2018, we saw it resurface," Durbhakula said. "Most of it, from my understanding, is coming in from China and other places."
The drug presents unique challenges for medical professionals and first responders. Nitazenes may require multiple doses of naloxone to counteract an overdose, and many standard drug screenings don't test for the substance.
Here is where the drug can be searched for information from the CDC.
Here are more findings in Tennessee about the drug from the CDC.
"And so it's one of those things where when we don't have urine drug screens that detect this and we don't know what a patient has taken, it could lead to misdiagnosis," Durbhakula said.
The Metro Health Department said they haven't heard much about nitazenes. According to a medical examiner's report, nitazenes don't appear among the top 11 drugs found in suspected overdoses.
"We don't even know the real prevalence of what's going on," Durbhakula said.
Vanderbilt Medical Center is working to raise awareness about the drug, monitor its presence and make testing more accessible.
Have you or someone you know been affected by the opioid crisis? Watch our full story on nitazenes and share your story with reporter Kim Rafferty at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com. Your experience could help save lives and inform our ongoing coverage of this public health emergency.
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- Carrie Sharp
