Posts Tagged ‘ Fentanyl Abuse ’

Fentanyl Theft

June 2nd, 2009. By janem

The potent and addicting drug Fentanyl is in the news again. This time a former nurse from Boulder, CO admitted to stealing the pain med for up to 290 patients in a Boulder hospital and replacing it with tap water or saline solution.  Fentanyl abuse has been known in the health sector since at least 2004.

 

In August 2006 a wave of fentanyl-related overdose deaths made the painkiller headlines as the newest pharmaceutical to hit the streets, and with it came a rising demand. Two nurses fed that demand and both were convicted for illegal possession of fentanyl. (It makes you wonder how many people in the medical profession haven’t been caught.) No wonder fentanyl is the drug of choice: it has been estimated at roughly 100 times more potent than morphine.  Consequently it has also been associated with many overdose deaths. Isn’t it time this drug was removed from the market?

Tags: Fentanyl, Fentanyl Abuse
Posted in Drugs/Medical | No Comments »