By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security has issued a warning that a new synthetic opioid named cychlorphine has been detected in Central Kentucky.
The public safety advisory, which was posted on the agency’s Facebook page, said cychlorphine is about 10 times stronger than fentanyl and is contributing to overdose deaths in neighboring regions, including eastern Tennessee.
Further, the homeland security office says that because this drug is frequently mixed with other illegal narcotics, this places users at extreme risk of unintentional exposure.
Officials are uncertain whether Narcan — the overdose-reversing medication — is fully effective against cychlorphine. However, John Moses, harm reduction team leader at the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, told Annie Brown with WLEX-TV that anyone who suspects an overdose should administer Narcan immediately.
“Since it is a synthetic opioid, we hope it will work, but the potency of it may require more doses than we would normally give,” Moses told Brown.
The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security offers this advice to first responders, health care providers and law enforcement personnel:
- Exercise extreme caution when handling any unknown or illicit substances.
- Utilize appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent accidental exposure.
- Treat all suspected cychlorphine-related overdoses as medical emergencies.
- Immediately report any confirmed or suspected cases to local public safety authorities.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health offers other ways to be prepared:
- Always keep naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, on hand and administer it if you suspect an overdose. Naloxone may help regardless of the drug taken. Naloxone and other harm reduction supplies are available at local health departments. Click here to find a Syringe Service Program. Click here to find naloxone distribution sites or instructions for how to order it by mail.
- Find available treatment and recovery options for substance use disorder at FindHelpNowKY.org or call 1-833-859-4357 during business hours, or 1-800-854-6813 after business hours.
- Call 911 if you suspect an overdose.
- Also, health officials advise people who use drugs not to use them alone.
DPH also offers advice for how to use Naloxone:
- Naloxone should be administered whenever overdose is suspected, that is, when a person is unresponsive and breathing slowly, shallowly or not at all.
- Naloxone should be followed by rescue breathing for a period of 2-3 minutes.
- If breathing is not restored after 2-3 minutes, an additional dose of naloxone may be administered. Continue giving rescue breaths.
- This cycle can be repeated every 2-3 minutes until breathing is restored or EMS arrives.
More information about how to use Naloxone can be found on the naloxone.ky.gov page under the “How Do I Use Naloxone?” tab.
