Some drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with other drugs. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. They do this because it takes very little to produce a high with fentanyl, making it a cheaper option.
This is especially risky when people taking drugs don’t realize they might contain fentanyl as a cheap but dangerous additive. They might be taking stronger opioids than their bodies are used to and can be more likely to overdose. To learn more about the mixture of fentanyl into other drugs, visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Facts on fentanyl.
What is M523 pill?
The white capsule-shaped pill with the imprint 10/325 has been identified as Acetaminophen and Oxycodone Hydrochloride 325 mg / 10 mg supplied by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. Acetaminophen/oxycodone is used in the treatment of chronic pain and belongs to the drug class narcotic analgesic combinations. Risk cannot be ruled out during pregnancy. Acetaminophen/oxycodone 325 mg / 10 mg is classified as a Schedule 2 controlled substance under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA).
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking acetaminophen and oxycodone?
You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to acetaminophen or oxycodone, or if you have:
- severe asthma or breathing problems; or
- a blockage in your stomach or intestines.
Tell your doctor if you have ever had:
- liver disease;
- a drug or alcohol addiction;
- kidney disease;
- a head injury or seizures;
- urination problems; or
- problems with your thyroid, pancreas, or gallbladder.
If you use opioid medicine while you are pregnant, your baby could become dependent on the drug. This can cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms in the baby after it is born. Babies born dependent on opioids may need medical treatment for several weeks.
Do not breast-feed. This medicine can pass into breast milk and cause drowsiness, breathing problems, or death in a nursing baby.
How should I take acetaminophen and oxycodone?
Follow all directions on your prescription label. Never take this medicine in larger amounts, or for longer than prescribed. An overdose can damage your liver or cause death. Tell your doctor if the medicine seems to stop working as well in relieving your pain.
Never share this medicine with another person, especially someone with a history of drug abuse or addiction. MISUSE CAN CAUSE ADDICTION, OVERDOSE, OR DEATH. Keep the medicine in a place where others cannot get to it. Selling or giving away acetaminophen and oxycodone is against the law.
Measure liquid medicine carefully. Use the dosing syringe provided, or use a medicine dose-measuring device (not a kitchen spoon).
If you need surgery or medical tests, tell the doctor ahead of time that you are using this medicine.
You should not stop using this medicine suddenly. Follow your doctor’s instructions about tapering your dose. Do not keep leftover opioid medication. Just one dose can cause death in someone using this medicine accidentally or improperly. Ask your pharmacist where to locate a drug take-back disposal program. If there is no take-back program, flush the unused medicine down the toilet.
What happens if I miss a dose?
Since this medicine is used for pain, you are not likely to miss a dose. Skip any missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not use two doses at one time.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of acetaminophen and oxycodone can be fatal.
The first signs of an acetaminophen overdose include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, sweating, and confusion or weakness. Later symptoms may include pain in your upper stomach, dark urine, and yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes. Overdose can also cause severe muscle weakness, pinpoint pupils, very slow breathing, extreme drowsiness, or coma.
M523 Fake Vs Real
Substandard and falsified medical products are by their very nature difficult to detect. They are often designed to appear identical to the genuine product and may not cause an obvious adverse reaction, however they often will fail to properly treat the disease or condition for which they were intended, and can lead to serious health consequences including death.
Fake M523 pill may contain no active ingredient, the wrong active ingredient or the wrong amount of the correct active ingredient. They are also found to commonly contain corn starch, potato starch or chalk. Some substandard and falsified medical products have been toxic in nature with either fatal levels of the wrong active ingredient or other toxic chemicals like Fentanyl.
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States. The findings confirm suspicions that fentanyl played a role in the death of the superstar musician Prince who died of an overdose at his Minneapolis-area estate.
The number of U.S. drug overdose deaths reached a record high as the coronavirus pandemic held the country in its grip last spring, new government data shows. For the 12 months ending in May, more than 81,000 people died from an overdose. That is the highest number ever recorded during a 12-month period, scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
What do fake M523 look like?
Identifying a fake M523 pill that does not contain the active ingredient of fentanyl is quite easy;
- Fake M523 break easily
- Fake M523 taste like Chalk
- Fake M523 don’t dissolve in Water
- Fake M523 are dull looking and crumbly
However, with increasing levels of sophistication, counterfeiters are now producing look alike pills, that is making it difficult to distinguish between M523 fake vs real. The only way to identify a counterfeit medicine containing fentanyl is to use a test strip.
Rapid fentanyl test strips (FTS) represent an emerging harm reduction intervention that may help to prevent unintentional fentanyl exposure and accidental opioid overdose. These tests have the ability to detect the presence of fentanyl and some analogs in drug samples dissolved in water that are believed to be contaminated. Here is how to test it;
READ: How to Spot Fake Fentanyl Pills
