Fentanyl

Synthetic Opioid Agonist

Drug Class: Synthetic Opioid Agonist
Mechanism of Action (MOA): Highly potent µ-opioid receptor agonist (~100× morphine).
Black Box Warning: Addiction/abuse; fatal respiratory depression; accidental exposure can be fatal; fatal with benzodiazepines or alcohol.
Clinical Notes: Procedural/surgical analgesia and transdermal chronic pain. Chest-wall rigidity at high doses; leading contributor to overdose deaths. Reverse with naloxone.
Source: FDA label (DailyMed)

Sources

Reviewed June 2026

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