The La Porte County Coroner shared this week that a novel synthetic opioid was recently detected in a deceased person from La Porte County.
The opioid is called Cychlorphine and it acts on the same receptors in the brain as substances like morphine or fentanyl.
Cychlorphine is not approved for medical use and has been identified in 25 blood specimens from fatal overdoses tested at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education; and tentatively identified in more than 100 toxicology cases at NMS Labs.
Synthetic opioids are commonly distributed in powder or tablet form, and adverse effects associated with synthetic opioid use are sedation and respiratory depression, which can lead to death if untreated.
Experts warn that this drug is very potent, with a very small amount being fatal.
