This story is part of The Dallas Morning News monthlong series on how fentanyl has affected our community.
After Stefanie Turner lost her 19-year-old son to fentanyl in 2021, she launched a nonprofit to educate others on the dangers of the synthetic opioid.
Since starting Texas Against Fentanyl, Turner has been stunned by the number of families who contact her to share stories of the children they lost.
“People get added to our group every single day,” she said. “And every time they say, ‘I didn’t know about fentanyl. How did I not know?’”
Fentanyl has exacerbated the nation’s drug crisis in recent years because of its accessibility and potency. It is linked to more fatalities of Americans under 50 than any other cause of death, and has overtaken heroin as the drug most frequently involved in overdose deaths in the country.
Because of fentanyl, the way parents talk to their kids about drugs must change, experts say.
Start the conversation on drug safety early
Conversations about drug safety need to start much earlier than high school, according to experts.
Parents should talk to their kids as early as age 9 about safe medication practices, said Dr. David Atkinson, a pediatric psychiatrist and medical director of the Teen Recovery Program at Children’s Health.
“Do not take any pill that is not from mom or dad,” Atkinson said parents should tell their kids. “Don’t even take a Tylenol from a friend.”
Understand what fentanyl is and where it hides
America’s rise in overdose deaths and addictions is largely driven by fake pills containing fentanyl. These pills are pressed to look like familiar prescription medications such as Xanax, Adderall and, most commonly, Percocets — known as “blues” for their color.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It’s tasteless and odorless, and an amount the size of 10 to 15 grains of salt can cause an overdose.
“From Prince to Tyler Skaggs to some of the dozens of victims in the D-FW area, I bet you they thought they were taking a Percocet or a Hydrocodone or whatnot,” said Eduardo Chávez, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Dallas. “Never before has there been an illicit drug that looks so familiar to us.”
Most of the fake pills seized off the streets nowadays contain a potentially lethal amount of fentanyl, the DEA said. The agency also finds the opioid laced in other street drugs such as cocaine and heroin, and sold on its own in pill, powder and patch form.
Talk about the risks
Stephanie and Ryan Vaughn thought they’d done enough. They talked with their teenage daughter about the dangers of drug use and spoke openly about family members who battled addiction. They even talked about fentanyl, or at least the little they knew about it.
Sienna died in February from fentanyl poisoning in her own bedroom after taking a fake Percocet from a friend.
Knowing what they know now, the Vaughns would have done things differently.
“I would have sat her down and talked to her about the hidden danger of fentanyl and how it’s packaged in a way that looks like other pills,” Stephanie said. “I would have used stories like her own to get it into her head how dangerous it is, and I think she would have listened.”
If the Vaughns had known fentanyl was circulating in Sienna’s high school, they would have warned her.
“We somehow missed the key points,” Stephanie said. “I really feel like if the education was out there, Sienna would be alive. She wasn’t stupid. She wouldn’t have risked her life for a pill.”
Know social media’s role
It’s wrong to think that drug deals only happen on street corners or the dark web, said Stefanie Turner of Texas Against Fentanyl. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Telegram Messenger have become easy marketplaces for illicit substances, which means adolescents are more susceptible than ever.
“My honest recommendation is to keep kids off social media as long as you possibly can,” said Turner, whose teenage son Tucker died after he took a fake Percocet he bought off Instagram.
When kids start using social media, parents should have login access to their phones and social media accounts, Turner said. Parents should also consider not allowing kids to have their phones in their bedrooms at night.
“We have to start parenting differently in the age of technology,” she said. “Kids need to know their phones are being monitored.”
Recognize signs of drug use
Sometimes there are no visible signs of drug use, Turner said, but it’s important to know the red flags.
- Changing behavior
- Spending time with new, different friends
- Declining grades
- Sleeping more
“Be observant to all behaviors,” Turner said. “And if you suspect your child is using, don’t be ashamed. This is a crippling epidemic because of the shame and silence around it. Talk about it. Get help.”
Educate yourself and your kids on naloxone
Naloxone, commonly referred to as the brand name Narcan, is a medication that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose if given in time. It comes in two forms — a nasal spray and an intramuscular injection.
With opioid overdoses soaring around the country, experts say everyone should carry naloxone, especially people who use drugs or know someone who does.
“Anyone could be an overdose first responder, and if they aren’t equipped with naloxone, it may be too late,” said Lucas Hill, director of the Pharmacy Addictions Research & Medicine program at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy.
Naloxone is safe, nonaddictive and easy to administer in both nasal and injectable forms, Hill said. If someone is not responsive and there’s even a thought it could be an overdose, naloxone should be administered.
“It will not cause harm if someone is experiencing some medical crisis other than an opioid overdose,” he said.
It also won’t cause harm or be any less effective if it’s expired, Hill added.
The Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter naloxone in March, and it is now becoming available for purchase without a prescription at pharmacies across the country. Organizations such as More Narcan Please provide free doses, although delivery can take several weeks.
Callie Crow, a North Texas paramedic, started teaching local communities how to use naloxone after she lost her 27-year-old son, Drew, to fentanyl in 2020. She said parents and kids should know how to administer the medication.
“It should be a household name. … Kids of all ages should be aware of what this medication does and where they can get it.”
She recommends keeping naloxone in a first aid kit at home and having some on hand while in public because it’s important to use it immediately if someone is experiencing an overdose.
Crow painfully knows the difference naloxone can make. When her son overdosed, the officer who arrived on the scene was carrying naloxone but didn’t administer it, she said. Drew was still breathing at the time, but when paramedics arrived he had gone into cardiac arrest.
“I absolutely believe that if naloxone had been administered in time,” Crow said, “then Drew would be here today.”
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
