Cocaine How to test cocaine for fentanyl and other synthetic opioids?

[Fractality]

I'm seeing all these news pieces talking about cocaine being cut with fentanyl. How can a cocaine user test for that to avoid it?

 

[jamesBrown]

Only way is to send it to a lab for testing. Costs lots of money. Not worth it.

I also wouldn't believe everything the news says about this kind of stuff. They are notoriously bad at knowing what they are talking about when they wade into the waters of understanding and correctly reporting information regarding psychoactive substances.
For example, I'm sure you have seen/heard a TON about fentanyl in heroin all over the news. They report it over and over. But for the longest time(and still to this day to a large degree), the news always reported "Fentanyl Laced Heroin" without making the distinction between fentanyl and it's analogs. And it was pretty much ALWAYS a fentanyl analog with a very different mode of action than fentanyl itself that was being found in heroin.
Some people may not think that making the distinction between fentanyl and fentanyl analogs is a big deal, but I happen to think it's important.
And this is just ONE example of how clueless news sources can be about these types of things.

 

[Steady Scootin]

Agree with James all around. I wouldn't worry about blow being cut with fent or any other opioid, personally.

 

[Tubbs]

Only way is to send it to a lab for testing. Costs lots of money.

You realize there are reagent kits online for like bucks right? While not as prevalent as fent in h, it does happen with coke and it can kill you. So it's something to worry about

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

Yeah there fentanyl testing kits online just google it.

 

[Fractality]

While I do agree the media isn't a foolproof source, it did just enough to trigger enough concern to research this. I suppose there is no logical reason for a supplier to cut coke with fentanyl (kill your customers?). Even so, if the test kits are reasonably inexpensive, why not use them?

 

[jamesBrown]

You realize there are reagent kits online for like bucks right? While not as prevalent as fent in h, it does happen with coke and it can kill you. So it's something to worry about

Yes. I am aware.

But those "kits" aren't nearly as reliable as a true GC/MS test. At least for something as serious as potential fentanyl in your cocaine, I would prefer getting as close to a guaranteed answer as it gets.
But also, we are almost always talking about some kind of fentanyl analog when you hear about other drugs being "spiked". Not ACTUAL fentayl. SO the test kit would also have to be sensitive to all the possible fent analogs, and to be safe, ALL opioids since drugs laced with opioids aren't always fentanyl analogs even if that's what you think it is. There are tons of RC's, alalogs, etc.. around right now and more being made every day.

Although the main reason I don't think this is a realistic option is the fact it would cost SO MUCH money to use a test kit every time you did coke. Unless you rarely use in which case you are like a Unicorn in the world of drug abusers or you are very close to becoming a full time addict. Cocaine is no joke, and even though it's never been my DOC, I understand and respect how dangerous it is.

Good luck man
-JB-

 

[Fractality]

Any recommendations for a test kit that tests for as many synthetic opioids as possible? Thanks

 

[Fractality]

I came across this one (https://dancesafe.org/product/fentanyl-test-strips-pack-of-10/) but have a question about the first method. If one were to dissolve cocaine in distilled water to test it, how does one evaporate it back to powder as quickly as possible? Is the potency reduced doing that?

 

[Backfromthebrink]

The big problem with using reagent kits to test for fentanyl or fent analogues in say a gram size portion of cocaine or heroin, is the sample size itself. Fent analogues are active in sometimes sub 100mg doses and so they will not be spread evenly throughout the sample. This can mean the part you use to test could be free of fent only for it to be active in other parts if the sample. This uneven distribution of the cut is part of what makes lacing anything with a drug like say carfentanil so deadly. It's active in such tiny, tiny amounts and so the odds of it being evenly distributed through your sample are very small.

 

[Fractality]

Which is why dancesafe recommends testing the entire amount. However, in the other thread you stated that once dissolved the substance cannot be used. Is dancesafe misinformed then? See this excerpt from the fentanyl test strip page:

The best method for testing non-injected drugs—including powders, crystals or tablets—is to test every bit of the drug you intend to consume. Unfortunately, this requires dissolving everything first in water. You can still consume the drugs later by drinking the water (if you intended to swallow them anyway), or you can let the water evaporate and consume the drugs later. (Evaporation could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on heat and humidity.) Either way, this is the best method for testing non-injected drugs.