More Doctors are Screening Patients for Fentanyl Overdoses.....

San Diego, CA - In the hopes of identifying and treating fentanyl overdoses before they become deadly, more primary care offices are screening patients for signs and symptoms of the condition while they wait to see the doctor.

A woman, shown here waiting to see her primary care provider about a new breast lump and experiencing a fentanyl overdose, probably from that $5 bill she found on the sidewalk last week 

"I think it's great that more offices are focusing on early detection of fentanyl overdoses," Jaymie Freedman, an internal medicine provider at Beach Paradise Primary Care, explained. "There is nothing more satisfying than being able to identify a patient in need of help and then administering Narcan before it's too late. A lot of people don't even realize how much fentanyl is out there on stuff you might find lying around or just floating in the air."

Although fentanyl overdose screening has yet to be standardized, most offices focus on the physical sensations and emotional reactions typically experienced when even a tiny amount of the dangerous chemical contacts the skin or is breathed in while minding your business, maybe walking your dog or calling the police on a suspicious black man washing a car in front of his house. According to Freedman, people are often shocked at how such a small amount of fentanyl can be life-threatening. "An Olympic-sized pool with just one fentanyl tablet dissolved in it could kill thousands of people if they were to inhale the water. And I don't think anyone is even testing pools that our children are swimming in."

Actress Laura Dern, shown here doing a perfect impression of a fentanyl overdose in her hit 1993 film Attack of the Dinobots!

Some experts are even recommending that patients consider self-administering a fentanyl overdose screen at home. Miami Police Department toxicologist Mort Fishman says to be diligent because overdose doesn't always wait until you happen to have scheduled a doctor appointment to ask about a suspicious mole or intense heart palpitations. "Do you feel like you are about to die? Are you having trouble catching your breath? What about chest pain, nausea, or lightheadedness? If the answer to any of these is even just a maybe...run!"