PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — Dr. Shravani Durbhakula warned that Nitazenes, an old group of synthetic opioids that are 20 times more potent than fentanyl, are fueling a new public health crisis.
Durbhakula, an anesthesiologist, said a pharmaceutical company created Nitazenes about 75 years ago, and now Chinese manufacturers are profiting from it.
“Many people consuming Nitazenes don’t even know they’re taking them,” said Durbhakula, the director of comprehensive pain services at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.
There aren’t standard drug screenings to detect Nitazenes, and several doses of Naloxone are required to counteract an overdose.
“We don’t have urine drug screens that detect this, and we don’t know what a patient has taken,” Durbhakula said.“It could lead to misdiagnosis.”
Durbhakula said there is an urgent need for public awareness.
“We need law enforcement, we need medical doctors, we need first responders,” Durbhakula said.
