MARION COUNTY — A dangerous and newly identified substance called Cychlorphine is beginning to draw attention from local health officials in Marion County.
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Officials say it is 10 times more potent than fentanyl and has made its way to Midwestern states like Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana. It is new in the drug market and was detected for the first time in the United States in 2024.
“Since Cychlorphine is an opiate, there's always going to be an increased risk of opioid overdose if it's ingested, whether or not that's ingested intentionally or unintentionally," said Breanna Hicks with the Overdose Lifeline organization.
The Marion County Public Health Department discovered a very small presence of Cychlorphine through its safe syringe testing program.
Andrea Bochenek, the Epidemiology manager at the Marion County Health Department, warns of the dangers of this drug.
“It just takes a small amount to potentially be linked to an overdose. We do know that it has been fatal in other states. We know that Tennessee and Illinois have seen deaths associated with Cychlorphine," Bochenek said.
Cychlorphine is also not approved for clinical or medical use. Hicks shares what resources are available
"It's being found in conjunction with fentanyl, so we can always push the use of a fentanyl test strip for individuals to know whether or not Cyclorphine may be possibly in that supply," said Breanna Hicks with the Overdose Lifeline organization.
Both health officials and local harm reduction organizations agree that Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, is the best way to reverse an overdose and potentially save lives.
“That breathing and central nervous system is depressed, so individuals might become unconscious. It unfortunately leads to the loss of life if we're not acting immediately. Naloxone simply restores that breathing and allows for EMS or medical personnel to have more time to get to the scene and treat that individual," said Hicks.
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