Fentanyl Death Pose: How can you tell if someone has died from fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid used as a pain medication and, together with other medications, for anesthesia.

Fentanyl is also used as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepine or methamphetamine.

Fentanyl is commonly used to create counterfeit pills disguised as OxyContin, Xanax, Adderall, among others. It has a rapid onset and its effects generally last under two hours.

Medically, it is used by injection, nasal spray, or skin patch, or absorbed through the cheek as a lozenge or tablet.

In 2020, fentanyl tablets containing xylazine (horse tranquilizer) began circulating. Its potentially deadly overdose effects can be neutralized by naloxone.

Common side effects of fentanyl include nausea, vomiting, constipation, itching, sedation, confusion, and injuries related to poor coordination.

Serious side effects may include respiratory depression, hallucinations, serotonin syndrome, low blood pressure, or development of an opioid use disorder and even death.

How can you tell if someone has died from fentanyl?

Basically, there are three signs that one has overdosed on fentanyl;

1. According to Regina Kowal, VP of Clinical Quality and Education, Clinical Director of Addiction Medicine at PursueCare, “One sign of a fentanyl overdose is shallow or slowed breathing,”.
2. Kowal further states that “Experiencing any feelings of dizziness or general confusion can be another sign of overdose.”
3. Another sign of a fentanyl overdose is becoming unresponsive or unable to be woken up