The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) detected a new synthetic opioid called cychlorphine in the illicit drug supply. It may be 10 times more potent than fentanyl, according to a notice from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
A 16-year-old San Francisco resident fatally overdosed in April and was the first recorded California case. The teen took a pill containing cychlorphine and other drugs. San Francisco police arrested four people in September and seized more than 20,000 counterfeit pills during an investigation tied to the teen’s death, according to a San Francisco Police Department press release.
A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration advisory warns that cychlorphine often appears in counterfeit pills or fentanyl powder without the buyer’s knowledge.
“My main concern is that people may be exposed to a potent opioid without knowing what they are taking,” Daryl Mangosing, a Cal Poly public health lecturer, wrote in an email to Mustang News.
Cal Poly Fraternity and Sorority Life sent an email to warn students about cychlorphine and encouraged them to avoid mixing substances or using illicit substances alone. Cal Poly sorority Alpha Chi Omega asked students to be careful around any type of substance, especially if from an unregulated or unknown source.
“I just want everyone to be informed, cautious and prepared to help if something happens,” Alpha Chi Omega President Maile Marinchak said.
The DEA reported its first detection of cychlorphine in April 2024 in Florida. Toronto’s Drug Checking Service has detected cychlorphine in counterfeit versions of Percocet, Dilaudid and OxyContin.
Like other opioids, cychlorphine can suppress breathing and cause loss of consciousness during an overdose.
Reversing a cychlorphine overdose may require multiple doses of naloxone because of its high potency, according to Mangosing. Naloxone is generally distributed through over-the-counter nasal sprays like Narcan.
He also pointed to recent evidence suggesting Narcan may reverse the effects of a cychlorphine overdose, though he said clinical knowledge of the drug remains limited.
A report from the American College of Medical Toxicology found that standard fentanyl test strips do not detect cychlorphine.
“That limitation is important to communicate clearly so people understand what a test result can and cannot tell them,” Mangosing wrote.
The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education in the United States detected the first case of cychlorphine in August 2024.
Many students on campus have not heard of the drug yet. Jonathan Desjardins-Wiggins, a software engineering sophomore, said he had not heard anyone around him talking about cychlorphine.
“I think it should just be something that’s brought more attention to,” Desjardins-Wiggins said. “Maybe community events or something like posts online even, just to create awareness.”
Andre Sillas, Cal Poly’s alcohol and other drug prevention education specialist, said Campus Health & Wellbeing has researched and integrated cychlorphine information into its Narcan training.
“The potency and lack of testing availability is the concern to me,” Sillas wrote in an email to Mustang News.
He added that there is currently no reliable way to predict how much Narcan it takes to reverse a cychlorphine overdose, which is why Campus Health & Wellbeing recommends students carry more than one dose.
Campus Health & Wellbeing holds free drop-in Narcan trainings on the Health Center lawn Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students can also book a training course and receive an Overdose Prevention Kit.
The kit includes two doses of Narcan, fentanyl test strips, a rescue breathing mask and educational resources.
Mangosing encouraged students to learn the signs of an overdose: a person who cannot be woken up and breathing that is slow, irregular or stopped. He also urged students to avoid taking pills that were not prescribed by a doctor and dispensed at a licensed pharmacy.
“I want students to know that their lives and well-being matter,” Mangosing wrote. “And that seeking help for themselves or a friend is the right thing to do.”
Never Use Alone is a 24/7 hotline 877-696-1996 that connects callers with trained operators who can contact 911 if a caller becomes unresponsive.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on naloxone and a guide for responding to a suspected opioid overdose.