Fentanyl has been credited with fueling the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States. In the midst of the national health emergency, Fentanyl’s more potent analogue has been authorized for practice. The highly toxic drug was passed 10-3 by the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee November 2018. Sufentanil is the strongest drug in the Fentanyl family to be approved for human utilization. Sufentanil is more than five times stronger than Fentanyl.

The Chief Medical Officer at AcelRx, the company to first formulate Sufentanil says the media has distorted the reality of Sufentanil approval. While Sufentanil is highly potent with addictive characteristics, the pharmaceutical manufacturer has instated precautionary measures to supervise the availability of the medication.

How easy will it be to obtain Sufentanil?

Not very. Sufentanil is only to be prescribed to those in post-operative scenarios. The Chief Medical Officer emphasized that .7% of medication theft takes place in medical facilities. The drug will be very hard for anyone outside the pharmaceutical field to obtain.

Why is Sufentanil necessary?

It fills the demand for specific health niches. Sufentanil is particularly beneficial for patients unable to swallow as the drug is administered in a disposable single dose applicator. Additionally, battlefields are the only non-medical institution where Sufentanil will be available. There is a unique demand for Sufentanil in battlefield situations where severe injuries often occur far from any medical aid.

Aside from potency, how is Sufentanil different from Fentanyl?

Compared to Fentanyl, Sufentanil has a shorter duration of action. Because it is stronger, Sufentanil requires less to comfort a patient. Sufentanil can be used in cases where a patient has managed to build a pain tolerance higher than Fentanyl can manage. On a similar note, as Sufentanil is so much stronger than any other drug on the market, multiple doses of Narcan would need to be administered if signs of an overdose were to occur.

How will doctors keeps patients from becoming addicted?

Addiction professionals are limited to prescribing Sufentanil to patients for no longer than forty-eight hours.

While Sufentanil is confined to few medical scenarios, Fentanyl is not. Fentanyl is everywhere whether people realize it or not. Many people are overdosing because they do not recognize that their heroin or cocaine is laced with Fentanyl. It is becoming increasingly popular for organizations to offer testing strips to those consuming heroin or cocaine. Chemists can accurately measure the volume of Fentanyl presence in a mixture, street dealers cannot. Every shot is a gamble.

If you or someone you know if struggling in addiction, call us. Seabrook’s three-phase, multi-faceted care model has been developed over 40 years and has delivered successful outcomes for hundreds of men and women. Whether it is your first time in rehab or you are returning after a relapse, we invite you to experience this transforming process for yourself. We look forward to providing you with the evidence-based tools you need to reset the trajectory of your life. It is a journey you will never regret. Begin treatment today: Call Seabrook’s 24-hour Helpline at (888) 223-0298.