Fentanyl

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Fentanyl. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Available at:
https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/about/fentanyl.html

Key points

• Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can be used for surgery or to treat severe pain. The majority of fentanyl-related harms and overdoses are linked to illegally made fentanyl (IMF).
• Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs have contributed to a dramatic rise in U.S. drug overdose deaths.
• You can detect fentanyl in drug products using fentanyl test strips.
• Naloxone can reverse an overdose from opioids, including fentanyl.