12/18/2023
Repost from .oakland.punks.with.lunch , a lot of people have been asking us for fent test strips. We will bring them to you, but there are some things you should know about them, the pros and cons.
Fentanyl test strips are a great way to reduce the risk of a fentanyl related overdose, but they are never a 100% guarantee. When using fentanyl test strips keep in mind-
• Harm reductionists are not using the strips as they were designed, they’re meant to test urine! But because people who use drugs are creative and resourceful, they have been repurposed to test drugs.
• Test strips test for fentanyl, a dozen analogs, and that’s it. There are many more analogs that can cause overdose that test strips don’t detect.
• Test strips are not 100% accurate. There have been reports of false positives and false negatives, and user error is common.
• Known as the “chocolate chip cookie effect” fentanyl or other substances can be inconsistently mixed throughout a dose, batch, or baggie. This means the test strip may not detect fentanyl or an analog even though it’s present.
Test strips are one of many useful interventions but don’t forget to also do the following: use with others so someone is there so reverse a potential overdose, investigate the look, taste, and smell to detect inconsistencies, if multiple people are using drugs stagger each person’s use, and do a test shot/line. And even after doing all of these and using test strips, there’s still risk of overdose! As long as drugs are illegal the supply with be inconsistent and present potential for overdose. Stay safe, we love you.
[Image: an illustration of 3 descending blue and white fentanyl test strips splayed out to the right side with a pink oval behind them. Each test strip has text in white directly above it, the first reading “test strips”, the second reading “don’t guarantee”, and the third “fentanyl free drugs”.]
Fentanyl test strip illustration by , text added by Punks with Lunch