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Fentanyl test strips are a crucial tool in the fight against opioid overdoses. These strips can detect the presence of fentanyl in street drugs, allowing users to make informed decisions about their drug use and potentially avoid a deadly overdose. If you’re wondering where you can buy fentanyl test strips, here are a few options:
Online Retailers
You can purchase fentanyl test strips from various online retailers. Make sure to choose a reputable seller to ensure the quality and accuracy of the test strips.
How To Use Fentanyl Safely
Harm Reduction Organizations
Many harm reduction organizations provide free or low-cost fentanyl test strips to individuals at risk of overdose. Contact local organizations in your area to see if they offer this service.
Report Proposes Fentanyl Test Strips To Prevent Overdoses
As xylazine becomes more common in Oregon’s drug supply, it is increasingly important to know how to identify and respond to overdoses. Fentanyl test strips (‘FTS’) are a form of inexpensive drug testing technology that was originally developed for urinalysis, but which have been shown to be effective at detecting the presence of fentanyl and fentanyl-analogs in drug samples prior to ingestion. In order to use the strips, testers dissolve a small amount of substance in water, and then dip the test strip into the liquid for 15 seconds. Because the test strips are highly sensitive, a minimal amount of drug residue is sufficient to obtain a result. The test strip is then set on a flat surface until results appear, typically within 5 minutes.
Pharmacies
Fact SheetFentanyl Test Strip Pilot
Some pharmacies may carry fentanyl test strips in stock. You can inquire with your local pharmacy to see if they have these strips available for purchase.
More than 30 years of evidence looking at providing sterile syringes to people who inject drugs shows people will use drugs, whether or not they have access to clean supplies. If they don’t have access to clean syringes, they may reuse or share needles, which increases their risk for HIV, hepatitis C and wounds. Most fentanyl test strips are between 96% to nearly 100% accurate in detecting the presence of even small amounts of fentanyl.
Massachusetts, Other States Make Moves To Legalize Indicators Of Contamination By Potent, Deadly Synthetic Opioid
Frequently Asked Questions
- The need for additional research is particularly urgent as FTS are being distributed by multiple US harm reduction organizations and state departments of health for at-home use [37,38,39,40,41,42].
- Regardless of if there’s fentanyl, always take these precautions when using drugs.
- Further, all participants were given a handout that was written in plain language and discussed how to test urine or powdered drugs and pills with the FTS.
- You can use the form below to request fentanyl test strips be mailed discretely to your home.
- Offers support for people seeking recovery from crystal meth addiction.
- How do fentanyl test strips work?
- Are fentanyl test strips reliable?
- Can fentanyl test strips detect other substances?
Call 911 if you suspect that an individual is experiencing an overdose or WCS and administer naloxone right away. Please fill out this form if you’re an individual interested in a fentanyl test strip kit. Partnership to End Addiction is here if you need help thinking this through. We can share suggestions on how to talk about test strips with your loved one and other ways to reduce risks. Personalized support for addressing your child’s substance use or addiction available in English and Spanish.
Fentanyl test strips work by detecting the presence of fentanyl in a substance. Users can mix a small amount of their drug with water and dip the test strip into the solution. A positive result indicates the presence of fentanyl.
This trend mirrors a growing national trend, as young adults are increasingly affected by the fentanyl overdose epidemic (Jones, Logan, Gladden, & Bohm, 2015; O’Donnell, Halpin, Mattson, Goldberger, & Gladden, 2017). Young adults may be most affected due to their lack of knowledge concerning harm reduction practices, lack of connection to established harm reduction services, and lower uptake of harm reduction practices (Frank et al., 2015; Yedinak et al., 2016). Suspected IMF exposure is common among people who use drugs in Rhode Island (Macmadu et al., 2017), but demand for fentanyl is low and many wish to avoid it (Carroll, Marshall, Rich, & Green, 2017).
While fentanyl test strips are not foolproof, they can provide valuable information about the contents of a drug. It’s important to follow the instructions carefully and interpret the results correctly.
Consistent with another study of FTS conducted in the US [35], participants stated they employed these precautions because they were made aware of fentanyl contamination. Prior studies of self-testing technologies suggest similar results—that is, rapid self-testing may contribute to an increase in harm reduction behaviors. Multiple studies on rapid self-testing for HIV, a technology that was legalized for at-home use in the US in 2012, have reported noticeable increases in both perceptions of risk and target risk reduction behaviors [62,63,64,65]. Additionally, studies have shown HIV self-testing is a successful intervention for increasing routine HIV testing among hard to reach and hard to engage populations, such as young adults engaging in high-risk behaviors [66, 67]. Such findings offer promise for rapid testing technology as a key component of harm reduction interventions for fentanyl overdose. Given these results, FTS should be explored as an additional means of preventing opioid overdose used in tandem with other harm reduction measures, such as naloxone distribution and overdose education.
Fentanyl test strips are specifically designed to detect fentanyl and its analogs. They may not be effective in detecting other substances present in a drug.
By knowing where to buy fentanyl test strips and how to use them effectively, you can take steps to protect yourself and others from the dangers of fentanyl-laced drugs. Stay informed and stay safe.
