The DEA is warning U.S. citizens about a wave of counterfeit medication that, in just 5 months, has caused 42 overdoses and 10 deaths.
Criminals have managed to create a pill that looks almost identical to the popular painkiller Norco. But instead of the active ingredients acetaminophen and hydrocodone, the pills contain fentanyl – a drug 100x stronger than heroin.
A fentanyl dose the size of one sand grain is enough to kill an adult. This is concerning because many people buying counterfeit Norco think they’re getting the real deal. Even famous musician Prince fell victim to fentanyl-laced painkillers.
The typical dosage of Norco is much higher than of fentanyl. As such, it’s not difficult for someone to overdose on the latter if they think they’re using the real drug.
A Global Epidemic
Fentanyl-laced ‘Norco’ is a problem across not only the nation but the entire world. As STAT News reports, the counterfeits originate from China. They’ve been spotted everywhere from the U.S. to Canada and Mexico.
The widespread nature of the issue is a testament to just how common and desperate opioid users are.
Opioids have a very high risk of abuse. Because of this, pharmacies are very cautious about filling even legitimate prescriptions. This pushes addicts to seek the drugs on the street, where they’re vulnerable to counterfeits.
It just may be the quintessential ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ scenario.
How To Protect Yourself
The DEA warns consumers prescribed Norco by their doctor to only purchase it from a legitimate chain pharmacy. The likelihood of buying a counterfeit there is very, very low.
Of course, that’s not to say legitimate opioid use is totally safe either.
Opioids kill 46 Americans every single day. Further, statistics show that opioids cause enough health damage to cost insurers $72.5 billion annually.
And then, of course, there’s the risk of illicit drug addiction.
Many patients face pressure to switch to heroin for a cheaper, more accessible and powerful high. In addition to the inherent dangers of heroin itself, the drug’s street supply is also rife with fentanyl lacing.
In other words, pharmaceutical painkiller use takes many people down a very dark, fatal path.
There Are Safer Options!
We’ve written quite a bit about alternatives to opioids on this site. Over in this article, we spoke about how states with legalized marijuana are reporting much lower rates of opioid abuse. Here, we wrote about acupuncture and its ability to treat pain more efficiently than prescription meds. In yet another article, here, we wrote about the painkilling power of turmeric.
In other words, anyone dealing with chronic pain has options.
Have a look at this video to learn more about the tainted Norco epidemic.
Via : https://www.davidwolfe.com