As if Opiates Weren’t Already Scary Enough 

(Orange County, California)

Like something out of a blockbuster movie, arrests have been made of a ring of home based chemists and drug dealers  who manufactured and distributed their “home made brew” of the incredibly potent drug Fentanyl.

Covered in more detail in yesterday’s Orange County Register Article, the location of the clandestine operation in conservative and upscale Orange County was particularly surprising. Authorities had been aware of the “bad batch” of Fentanyl due to numerous overdoses in Sacramento among other California cities, but had assumed the Mexican drug cartels were to blame for the proliferation of the deadly synthetic opiate.

Opiate Use Requires Immediate Action by Family Members

If you are reading this and are concerned about a loved one who you suspect is abusing drugs, pay particular attention to the signs and symptoms of opiate abuse. While all chemical dependencies are worthy of swift action, opiates like Fentanyl warrant even more immediate action because the likelihood of accidental overdose is present with literally every use.  Now that synthetic home made variations of the drug are going to become more available, the lack of quality control and therefore risk of overdose will be even higher.

Other Prescription Medications that Contain Opiates:

Active ingredient: oxycodone:

  • Opana
  • OxyContin

Active ingrdient hydrocodone:

  • Vicodin

“Illegal” Opiate Drugs:

  • Heroin