‘Super-drug’ 10 times stronger than fentanyl linked to deaths across multiple states

Originally published on Fox News Health

A powerful new synthetic opioid said to be more potent than fentanyl has been linked to dozens of recent deaths in the U.S., prompting warnings from health officials. Tennessee was an early hotspot, with the state’s health department announcing in March that more than 30 fatal overdoses had been associated with cychlorphine since October 2025. An April 2026 notice from the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy cited at least 41 Tennessee deaths between July 2025 and February 2026 and at least 55 deaths nationally. KRATOM INDUSTRY WARNS SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS SHOULD NOT BE CALLED 'KRATOM' Fatal overdoses have also been reported in Illinois, California and Oklahoma, according to public health and law enforcement records. "Cychlorphine is particularly dangerous due to its strength, where a very small amount can cause someone to stop breathing ," the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in its advisory. Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D., CEO and chief clinical officer of the New York Center for Living in Manhattan and a clinical professor at Stony Brook Medicine’s School of Social Welfare, called cychlorphine "the new fentanyl on steroids." WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PENTOBARBITAL AFTER DEATH ROW INMATE SURVIVES 2 LETHAL INJECTION DOSES Cychlorphine is a novel, unregulated synthetic opioid that activates the same receptors as fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It can cause profound sedation, slowed or stopped breathing, or death. The drug is not approved for medical use and has been detected in illicit drugs and counterfeit pills. Kardaras called cychlorphine "one of the most potent synthetic opioids" now appearing in the illicit drug supply. "Fentanyl is about 50 times more potent than morphine or heroin," he told Fox News Digital. "Cychlorphine is reportedly up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl — so theoretically, about 500 times more potent than morphine or heroin." "This new synthetic drug is making fentanyl look like yesterday's candy." DR DREW PINSKY REVEALS RED FLAG IN PRESLEY GERBER ADDICTION TREATMENT BEFORE MODEL'S DEATH Cychlorphine is taken in various forms — people can ingest it as a pill, snort it in powder form or crush it and administer it intravenously, according to Kardaras. "The problem has been, in addition to its potency, it's often put in other designer drugs and in counterfeit pills," he cautioned. While some people seek out cychlorphine for its potency, others may ingest it unknowingly when it is mixed into other substances. "Sometimes, by talking about how potent some of these substances are, we increase the allure of them for some addicts, unfortunately," Kardaras said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES While cychlorphine is primarily a street drug, it can also be purchased online or