WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Cychlorphine has been linked to at least 122 US deaths since July 2025 and identified as an emerging drug threat.
  • Laboratory models indicate the synthetic opioid is more potent than fentanyl and can cause respiratory depression, sedation and unresponsiveness.
  • The drug has appeared in about 25 states, sometimes mixed with fentanyl, heroin or counterfeit prescription pills.
  • Naloxone can reverse symptoms, but fentanyl test strips and typical hospital tests do not detect cychlorphine.

Cychlorphine has emerged as an unfamiliar name in alerts issued by state medical examiners, local law enforcement and college campuses. The synthetic opioid has been linked to at least 122 deaths in the United States since July 2025.

In April, the Office of National Drug Control Policy identified cychlorphine as an “emerging drug threat.” The US Drug Enforcement Administration designated it as a temporary Schedule I drug in August, making the substance illegal in the United States.

Despite those warnings, experts do not expect cychlorphine to become as widespread or dangerous as many other illicit opioids. Cases remain far less common than those involving fentanyl, according to researchers tracking the drug.

Cychlorphine belongs to a relatively new opioid class called orphines, according to Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta, a street drug scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These substances have not previously been used for medicinal purposes.

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UNC researchers first detected cychlorphine in the United States in August 2024, Dasgupta said. His European colleagues had encountered orphines in 2019 and had watched for the group of drugs to appear in the United States.

Dasgupta said the drug’s arrival also reflects moves by countries around the world to outlaw fentanyl analogs. That pressure has pushed illicit markets toward substances that are unrelated to fentanyl but produce the same effects in users.

“It’s not surprising that it’s showed up,” Dasgupta said. He described cychlorphine cases in the United States as “sporadic.”

Cychlorphine has been found in about 25 states, according to Dr. Alex Krotulski, director of toxicology and chemistry at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education. Its form and mixture can vary by region.

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In the Midwest, including Illinois and Tennessee, cychlorphine has appeared as a powder, often mixed with fentanyl and heroin. In the South, including Texas, Louisiana and Alabama, investigators have encountered the drug in pill form.

Laboratory based models indicate that cychlorphine is more potent than fentanyl, a finding that corresponds with what researchers can observe in people, Krotulski said. Because of that potency, a small amount can produce a greater effect.

Dr. Shravani Durbhakula, director of comprehensive pain service at Vanderbilt University, said cychlorphine acts on opioid receptors. It can cause respiratory depression, meaning a person’s breathing slows or stops.

The drug can also produce sedation and euphoria, along with decreased consciousness and unresponsiveness. Naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal medication also known as Narcan, can reverse the symptoms.

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In cases Durbhakula has observed, cychlorphine is often combined with other substances, including in counterfeit Xanax and OxyContin. Those combinations can make its effects more powerful and dangerous.

“It’s also been found by itself, so it doesn’t mean that it’s always mixed,” Durbhakula said. “But obviously, if you combine it with other things, it gets even more deadly.”

Fentanyl test strips cannot detect cychlorphine because the substances are different, according to Dr. David Liss, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Washington University. Typical hospital tests also do not include the drug, so specialized testing may be necessary.

“I don’t believe that that there’s any kind of way to test for this on an individual scale,” Liss said. He believes cases involving newer compounds are undercounted because hospitals cannot identify orphine drugs and routine testing by other laboratories remains unclear.

Krotulski expects cychlorphine to “fall off here pretty quickly” after scheduling by the DEA and China, which he identified as the source of many novel opioids. He predicted declining case numbers, with only isolated appearances in the future.

Cychlorphine is only one of at least 100 different opioids Krotulski has seen appear during the past decade. “For example, we’re not going to be talking about cyclorphine next October,” he said. “We’re going to be talking about the new and latest opioids, and there may be three or four until that time.”

Are you feeling overwhelmed or hopeless right now? Have you been withdrawing from people or activities you usually enjoy? Are you having thoughts about hurting yourself, or feeling like things will never improve?

You do not have to handle those feelings alone. Support is available, and talking to someone can make a difference. You can reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or by chatting online at 988lifeline.org. Trained counselors are available 24 hours a day to listen and help.

If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call emergency services right away. Even a small step, like reaching out to a trusted friend, family member, or professional, can help create a path forward.