Cychlorphine: What Communities Need to Know About This Powerful Synthetic Opioid

Over the last few months, public health officials across several states have issued warnings about cychlorphine, a powerful synthetic opioid that is now being detected in counterfeit pills and other illicit substances.

Many people may never have heard of cychlorphine before, yet experts believe it may be significantly more potent than fentanyl, making even small amounts potentially deadly.

What is Cychlorphine?

Cychlorphine is a new synthetic opioid that has never been approved for use in humans. It belongs to a newer wave of laboratory or man-made opioids that are designed to mimic the effects of fentanyl and other powerful opioids.

Public health officials believe that cychlorphine may be up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl, a drug that is already estimated to be 50-100 times stronger than heroin.[1] Because fentanyl itself is already far stronger than heroin or morphine, even a very small amount of cychlorphine may be enough to cause a fatal overdose.

One of the most concerning aspects of cychlorphine is that many people are likely unaware they are taking it. The drug has reportedly been found mixed into counterfeit pills and other illicit substances, including drugs sold as fentanyl or heroin. In some cases, it may also appear alongside stimulants or sedatives, increasing the risk of accidental overdose.

The Problem With Cychlorphine and Why Public Health Officials Are Sounding The Alarm

Synthetic opioids continue to drive overdose deaths nationwide, and cychlorphine represents another shift in an already dangerous illicit drug market in the United States. Health departments in several states, including Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama, have issued alerts after seeing clusters of cychlorphine-related overdoses and deaths.[2]

Although only a small number of cychlorphine cases have been officially confirmed in Alabama so far, toxicology experts believe the drug may already be far more widespread than current data shows, since many cases may go undetected without specialized testing.

What makes cychlorphine especially dangerous is not only its potency, but also the difficulty in detecting it. Reports indicate that standard fentanyl test strips may not identify cychlorphine. This means that, theoretically, a person who is attempting to be safe and practice harm reduction by testing their substances for fentanyl could receive a negative result while still being exposed to a highly potent, even more dangerous opioid.

New synthetic drugs like cychlorphine are entering the illicit drug supply faster than testing systems and awareness campaigns can update their testing abilities and surveillance systems that are meant to catch them. As a result, by the time a substance is widely recognized, individuals who use substances and communities as a whole may have already experienced significant harm.

Side Effects of Cychlorphine

Because cychlorphine is a synthetic opioid, its effects are expected to resemble those of fentanyl and other powerful opioids, but at a much greater intensity. Like other opioids, cychlorphine affects the parts of the brain that control pain, breathing, and consciousness. Even very small amounts may produce dangerous effects, especially for someone who does not regularly use opioids or who unknowingly consumes the drug in a counterfeit pill or contaminated substance.

Common side effects include:

Extreme drowsiness and sedation
Slowed breathing
Difficulty breathing
Dizziness
Confusion
Nausea
Vomiting
Loss of consciousness
Pinpoint pupils
Reduced heart rate

The most dangerous side effect is respiratory depression, which occurs when breathing becomes dangerously slow or stops altogether. This is the leading cause of fatal opioid overdoses.

As with other synthetic opioids, combining cychlorphine with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other sedating substances may greatly increase the risk of overdose and death. Even medications that are prescribed to you for anxiety or sleep can become dangerous to take when they are mixed with opioids like cychlorphine.

Signs of a Cychlorphine Overdose

Since cychlorphine acts similarly to other opioids, like heroin or oxycodone, the signs of a cychlorphine overdose will resemble the signs of any other opioid overdose. This may include:[3]

Slow, shallow, or stopped breathing
Blue or gray colored lips or fingernails
Loss of consciousness
Pinpoint pupils
Choking or gurgling sounds
Inability to wake up

A suspected cychlorphine overdose is a medical emergency. Call 911 immediately, and administer naloxone if you have it.

Is Naloxone Effective on Cychlorphine?

Currently, reports suggest that naloxone is believed to work on cychlorphine overdoses. However, due to how potent the drug is, multiple doses may be needed to restore breathing.[4]

Emergency medical services should always be contacted, even if the person initially responds to naloxone. This is because the effects of powerful synthetic opioids can sometimes outlast the effects of naloxone, causing a person to slip back into overdose after initially waking up or becoming responsive. As a result, continuous monitoring and medical care are critical to help prevent further complications or death.

With Cychlorphine in the Picture, Harm Reduction is Essential for Anyone Who Uses Substances

It isn’t easy to know what’s really in illicit drugs these days, making it more important than ever to avoid drug use in the first place. But when drug use can’t be avoided, harm reduction becomes essential in saving lives.

Harm reduction does not encourage drug use. Instead, it recognizes that substance use disorder is a medical condition, keeping people alive and connected to support services is key to them getting help in the future, and that you can’t force someone to stay sober. Some useful harm reduction strategies include:

Carry naloxone with you
Avoid using substances alone
Use fentanyl test strips, when available, but recognize that they won’t detect cychlorphine
Testing a small amount of a new supply of a substance before taking the amount one would normally take
Staying up to date on information regarding contamination and new drugs in the illicit drug supply

Get Naloxone or Find Support Services

Having naloxone on hand is an important step in preventing overdose deaths. To get naloxone at your business or workplace, visit https://apcbham.org/onebox/. For all other support services, visit https://apcbham.org/findhelp/, where you can learn more about treatment options and resources near you.

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