03/25/2026
Heads up Missouri
This is not some copy and pasted "fake news"
This is sourced from actual facts provided by Missouri Department of Health and real, medical, science and written by me (Dr Kenney)
A new, much more potent and therefore extremely dangerous and DEADLY, synthetic opioid is being used and circulated. It has made its way into Missouri. We know this because the Missouri department of Health has piloted a program where they're testing water from multiple public school districts and it has been detected in almost 75% of the participating schools. That's terrifying. It is being laced into vapes, ma*****na, pills and all sorts of black market synthetic products. Be aware and educate your friends and family because most people will be exposed without realizing what they're messing with and they'll pay the ultimate price!
It has the same classic signs of any opioid overdose
- Pin point pupils. The black in the eyes gest super small like a dot. If you see this, assume overdose and administer Narcan immediately.
- They will likely be unconscious or nearly passed out
- Breathing slows, so expect long pauses in between each breath until they may stop breathing all together
Give Narcan!!!!! It's so much stronger that you probably need to give multiple dose of Narcan to overcome it and the Narcan will wear off within a few minutes. So, if you see the signs, give Narcan and don't second guess yourself if the first dose doesn't work and if you give a dose you have to someone and it works, don't think you can get away with staying off the radar and keeping them home. They're going to need more, and pretty quickly, so call 9-1-1 and get them to an ER asap.
References:
High Potency: Nitazenes can be 50 to 500 times stronger than he**in, while cychlorphine is far more potent than fentanyl.
Rapid Overdose: Due to their extreme strength, even a tiny amount can cause rapid, fatal overdose.
Counterfeit Pills & Contamination: These substances are appearing in counterfeits of legitimate pills (e.g., oxycodone, "Dilaudid", Xanax) and in other drugs like he**in, co***ne, and methamphetamine.
Undetectable by Standard Tests: Cychlorphine and nitazenes often do not produce a positive result on standard fentanyl test strips, giving users a false sense of security.
Naloxone Resistance: Overdoses may not respond to a single dose of naloxone (Narcan). Multiple doses, administered every two to three minutes, may be required to reverse the overdose
03-23-2026 Department of Health and Senior Services Advisory - Health Risks Associated with Nitazenes
In 2025, Missouri launched a pilot program to test wastewater from public schools that volunteer to participate for several illicit drugs of concern. These schools support their communities and the state by helping to identify potential drug trends affecting students and the surrounding community, while ensuring the protection of individual health information. This program, led by the Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS), currently involves 37 schools across the state.
Since January of this year, laboratory analysis from this program has detected nitazenes in 26 of the 37 schools’ wastewater. This corresponds with increasing detections of nitazenes in law enforcement drug surveillance, medical journal articles identifying a rising nitazene concern in overdose cases and emergency department visits, and Missouri SUDORS data.
