How the complex pharmacology of the fentanyls contributes to their lethality

Graeme Henderson*, Eamonn Kelly, Hannah Gill

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial (Academic Journal)

6 Citations (Scopus)
176 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Fentanyls as a class of drug have pharmacological properties that make them more likely to lead to overdose than other opioids. In addition to their high potency and rapid onset of action these drugs induce respiratory muscle stiffness making it difficult to breath, are less sensitive than heroin to naloxone reversal and may show reduced cross tolerance to other opioids.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages2
JournalAddiction
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Apr 2019

Keywords

  • fentanyl
  • heroin
  • muscle stiffness
  • naloxone
  • overdose
  • respiratory depression

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