The dangers of new psychoactive substances impacting on the illicit UK drug market | News and events

Nitazenes and Fentanyl’s  

Nitazenes are potent drugs and can cause overdose and death on their own or in combination with other drugs .  

Public Health England first warned about these drugs in January 2023. Their continuing presence suggests they have become an established part of supply and may prefigure the introduction of similar drugs including fentanyl’s which have caused many deaths .  

Nitazenes have been found in heroin and benzodiazepines supplied in the UK and may be present in other drugs including cocaine  and cannabis vapes.  

Due to their unexpected presence in the drug supply and high potency, nitazenes  pose a substantial risk of overdose, drug-related hospitalisation and drug-related death .  

The harm associated with nitazenes should be considered in the context of polysubstance use (mixing drugs), which is a common feature of drug use in the UK .  

Overdose signs and response actions for nitazenes are the same as for any other overdose involving opioids. Naloxone effectively reverses opioid-type drug overdoses.   

Evidence suggests that in some cases  nitazenes related overdose reversals may need higher doses of Naloxone.