A synthetic opioid that has never been approved for medical or clinical use has appeared in U.S.. European countries, and Canada. It’s called Cychlorphine (N-Propionitril Chlorphine ) and is causing severe respiratory depression. A designer drug, it can be found in fake prescription pills such as Dilaud or mixed with other drugs like fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamines.
Because it is stated that it may be up to ten times more potent than fentanyl, it can take more than one dose of Naloxone or Narcan to reverse an overdose. Chlorphine has been detected in 25 overdoses since December 2025. Since 2026, Cychlorphine has been linked to 16 overdose deaths in east Tennessee. Although the name sounds like a derivative of morphine, it is not a structural analog of morphine, but is classified as an orphine.
Sources: WZTV FOX17News, Nashville. The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, 1-30-26.
Wesley Cullen Davidson
Wesley Cullen Davidson is an award-winning freelance writer and journalist specializing in parenting. Currently, she is targeting her writing about recovery to parents whose children have substance abuse disorders.