Yes, you can test for fentanyl in your drugs using fentanyl test strips.
Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. People who use drugs may not be ready to enter treatment, or stop their use. Harm reduction strategies recognize this, and support people to make changes, when they are ready, to reduce their health and safety risks.
If you are going to use drugs, there are a few different steps you can take to reduce your risk of opioid overdose. These harm reduction steps include:
- CARRY NALOXONE (NARCAN®): Show others where it is and how to use it. More than one dose may be needed.
- NEVER USE ALONE: If you overdose, it's important to have someone around to help.
- TAKE TURNS USING: Be prepared with naloxone (NARCAN®) and have a phone on hand in case you need to call 911.
- TEST YOUR DRUGS: A small amount of fentanyl can cause an overdose. Use fentanyl test strips to see if fentanyl is in your drugs. This can help you make safer use decisions.
- USE SLOW AND USE LESS: Use a small amount first to see how strong your drugs are.
- AVOID MIXING DRUGS: Mixing drugs - including alcohol - increases your risk of overdose.
Along with these harm reduction strategies, like carrying naloxone (NARCAN®), another tool you can use is fentanyl test strips (FTS). In the unregulated, illegal drug supply, you will not always know what is in your drugs. Fentanyl test strips can be used to test your drugs for the presence of fentanyl, before you use them. You can test most drugs for the presence of fentanyl using fentanyl test strips. FTS can be used with most drugs that are in liquid, powder, or pill form, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, or street pills stamped as Xanax or Adderall.
Fentanyl test strips will only tell you if your drugs contain fentanyl, but WILL NOT tell you how much fentanyl there is, or how strong it is. Because you do not know if there is a little, or a lot, of fentanyl mixed into your drug, it is important to follow the harm reduction practices described. There may be times when the test strips may not be able to detect certain forms of fentanyl, which is another reason to use the harm reduction strategies. Fentanyl test strips do not guarantee that your drugs are safe to use, but the results can help you to make an informed decision about what to do next, to help keep you safer if you use drugs.