Synthetic opioids: a new generation of psychoactive substances used as drugs of abuse

Abstract

Drug abuse is a current and worrying issue since it is a global public health problem. In the USA and Europe, the use of opioids without a prescription had a considerable increase in the last years. However, there are few works in the scientific literature about the toxicology of new synthetic opioids, needing more information about clinical clinicaleffects, toxic doses, mechanism of action, and epidemiological data to define the risks associated with the use of these substances. The present work presents the toxicological aspects of fentanyl analogues and the evolution of legal control to contain intoxications and deaths by these compounds. A narrative and exploratory review of the scientific literature was carried out, using academic databases about the toxicology of fentanyl analogues. In recent years, several countries have registered the emergence of new highly toxic synthetic opioids, with fentanyl and its analogs being one of the main responsible for overdose cases in the world. Cases of intoxication and deaths have been reported, mainly in the USA, where the consumption of these substances is more prevalent. To try to control the indiscriminate use of these compounds, several of them were included in the national and international drug control lists. Thus, although the therapeutic use of synthetic opioids is already clinically evidenced, a new generation of more potent drugs has emerged in the illicit market, causing many public health problems, which demands attention from professionals in the health and public safety sectors.