Flunitazene (Fluonitazene) is a

benzimidazole Benzimidazole is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound. This bicyclic compound may be viewed as fused rings of the aromatic compounds benzene and imidazole. It is a white solid that appears in form of tabular crystals. Preparation Benzimi ...

derivative with

opioid Opioids are a class of Drug, drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy plant. Opioids work on opioid receptors in the brain and other organs to produce a variety of morphine-like effects, ...

effects, first developed in the 1950s as part of the research that led to better-known compounds such as

etonitazene Etonitazene, also known as EA-4941 or CS-4640, is a List of benzimidazole opioids, benzimidazole opioid, first reported in 1957, that has been shown to have approximately 1,000 to 1,500 times the potency (pharmacology), potency of morphine in anim ...

. It is one of the least potent derivatives from this class to have appeared as a

designer drug A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. ...

, with only around the same potency as

morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...

, but nevertheless has been sold since around 2020, and has been linked to numerous

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

cases.

References

Analgesics Designer drugs Benzimidazole opioids Aromatic ethers Diethylamino compounds Nitroarenes 4-Fluorophenyl compounds {{Analgesic-stub

See also

References