Triangle Bob knows that all too well.

Thankfully, scientists have discovered and made medicines that help alleviate pain.

Triangle Bob can now go back to his other job at the firework factory, thanks to these medicines.

These are analgesics and include over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen that reduce inflammation and prescription opioids like fentanyl that can change your brain's perception of pain.

Let's focus on that last one.

I'm sure you've heard of fentanyl before.

It's been making big headlines.

Overdoses caused by this man-made opioid have skyrocketed in the last few years, leading many to wonder if it's such a pain to society, why does it exist in the first place?

Hey there, welcome to Life Noggin.

Fentanyl was created in 1960 by scientists looking for safer and more powerful alternatives to the available opioids, which at the time were morphine and meperidine.

The effects of these drugs took a while to kick in, and the team realized it was because they had trouble penetrating into the central nervous system.

So they focused their efforts on developing a version of these opioids that could easily make its way in.

What they made was fentanyl, an opioid that's about 100 times more potent than morphine.

It was also the fastest-acting and safest opioid at the time.

At first, fentanyl was administered through injection, but in the 1990s, less invasive delivery systems were created, like adhesive patches and lozenges.

This made it very useful for chronic pain management, as well as for recovery from an injury or surgery during cancer treatment and end-of-life care.

Unfortunately, it also made it easy to abuse.

In addition to pain relief, opioids cause a feeling of euphoria or extreme happiness, but too much can cause problems with breathing, unconsciousness, and even death.

Like many other addictive drugs, as you take more opioids, your brain adapts and the sensitivity diminishes.

This makes it harder to feel pleasure from anything but the opioid.

And fentanyl was designed to be a powerful opioid.

In addition to being more potent than morphine, it's also 50 times more potent than heroin.

Fentanyl abuse takes many forms, from misusing prescriptions to illegally buying and selling prescriptions to illicitly made versions, which can be the most dangerous.

These can be sold as powders, nasal sprays, or even pills that look like the real thing.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration has found counterfeit pills containing more than twice the lethal dose of two milligrams, with 42% of the pills tested containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl.

And since it's so potent, drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with other drugs as a cost-effective way to produce a high, adding to an already alarming number of fentanyl-related deaths.

In 2021, over 70,000 people in the United States overdosed on fentanyl, and the majority of overdoses involving heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and benzodiazepines were in combination with fentanyl.

The scary thing is is that you can take a pill without knowing it contains fentanyl or how much fentanyl is in it.

This is why it's so important to understand these dangers so that you can stay safe.

In the United States, fentanyl is classified as a Schedule II drug, meaning it has a medical use, but also a high potential for abuse and is considered dangerous.

Let me know in the comments if you want me to do a video about the drug classification systems in the US.

It's actually really fascinating, and I think a lot of people are unfamiliar with it.

Or tell me, is there another drug I should do an episode on next?

One last thing.

Some people might be sharing personal stories and experiences related to fentanyl in the comments.

I'm asking you to please not be judgmental and instead offer support, encouragement, and understanding.

Thank you for watching.

Click here to watch another video we did on how bad vaping actually is for you, or click here to watch this mystery video.

Not sure what YouTube is gonna recommend, honestly.

Shout out to Lifespan, the team that powers Life Noggin.

Check them out down in the description.

And as always, my name is Blocko.

This has been Life Noggin.

Don't forget to keep on thinking.