Hamilton County health officials are warning residents about cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid estimated to be four to 10 times as potent as fentanyl.

In the limited local drug samples where cychlorphine has been detected, it was found mixed with fentanyl, a Hamilton County Public Health spokesperson told WLWT. The drug has not been found on college campuses in Greater Cincinnati, but officials are discussing prevention efforts because young people could encounter it unknowingly in counterfeit pills.

Cychlorphine belongs to a new class of synthetic opioids. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) first spotted it in the U.S. illicit drug supply in 2024, according to Denver7. It is increasingly appearing in counterfeit pills disguised as Xanax, Percocet and Adderall.

Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan, a member of the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, said the coalition identified cychlorphine locally about a year ago through drug testing.

"It's the newest monster to come on the scene," Dr. Mike Kalfas, an addiction specialist with St. Elizabeth Healthcare, told WLWT.

Ohio among states with most cases

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) issued a threat notice about cychlorphine in April, calling it "up to ten times more potent than fentanyl" and linking it to 55 deaths nationwide as of that date, USA Today reported. Ohio, Tennessee and Texas showed the greatest prevalence, according to the ONDCP.

A temporary DEA order classified cychlorphine as a Schedule I controlled substance, the same category as heroin, effective Aug. 27. As of March, the National Institutes of Health reported at least 24 states had logged overdoses or deaths linked to the drug.

Standard fentanyl test strips cannot detect cychlorphine, according to researchers at the University of Texas SMART Initiative. Standard emergency room urine panels routinely miss it as well.

What residents should know

Hamilton County health officials say any pill not obtained from a licensed pharmacy should be considered potentially deadly. Counterfeit pills can contain cychlorphine, fentanyl or other substances without the user's knowledge.

Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, can reverse a cychlorphine overdose. Because of the drug's extreme potency, multiple doses may be needed. Anyone who suspects an overdose should administer naloxone, call 911 and stay with the person until paramedics arrive.

Hamilton County Public Health distributes free naloxone kits by mail. Residents can call 513-309-1522 or email [email protected]. Fentanyl test strips are also available by texting "FTS" to 844-734-4081, though officials note those strips will not detect cychlorphine.