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What to know about cychlorphine, a new synthetic opioid raising alarm
WRAL • • health
Key Points:
- The South Carolina Attorney General is warning the public about a new synthetic opioid called cychlorphine, which is more potent and addictive than fentanyl and difficult to detect with standard test strips.
- Cychlorphine, structurally different from other opioids, can cause severe symptoms including behavioral changes, sleepiness, respiratory failure, and heart attacks.
- Since 2025, there have been 55 deaths linked to cychlorphine, mainly in the South and Midwest, with high occurrences in Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas.
- The drug is often manufactured overseas and smuggled into the U.S. by drug cartels, who prioritize profit over human lives, according to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.
- Medical experts in Conway, South Carolina, have not yet seen overdoses but expect the drug to appear locally soon due to the growing prevalence of fentanyl derivatives nationwide.
