Cook County Medical Examiner building

Two men died of overdoses from “powerful opioids never before seen in Cook County” the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office announced Dec. 9.

Toxicology reports showed the men died from “a lethal combination of fentanyl analogs.”

A 46-year-old Chicago man died Sept. 10 from a lethal dose of Carfenatil, a fentanyl analog used by veterinarians to sedate large animals. The potency of Carfenatil is 10,000 times stronger than the morphine in heroin, the Medical Examiner’s office said.

“Carfentanil is an elephant tranquilizer. It is not a drug that humans should be ingesting,” said Stroger Hospital toxicologist Steve Aks in a statement. “These high-potency opioids and opioid analogs are thousands of times stronger than street opioids like heroin and are far more likely to cause death.”

A 35-year-old Lake Zurich man died June 8 from a 3-Methylfentanyl overdose. 3-Methylfentanyl — also a fentanyl analog — is four times more potent than heroin.

Although this is the first appearance of these specific fentanyl analogs, the county has reported an increase in deaths from fentanyl-related overdoses, said Ponni Arunkumar, Cook County chief medical examiner.

“Fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, like carfentanil, are very powerful drugs that are likely to be lethal,” Arunkumar said. “Just one dose can easily stop a person from breathing, causing immediate death.”

So far in 2016, the Medical Examiner’s office has confirmed 380 deaths were related to fentanyl or fentanyl analogs. That number may increase because toxicology reports can take up to 90 days, the office said. In 2015, 102 deaths were fentanyl-related, up from 20 confirmed fentanyl-caused overdoses in 2014.

The most common types of fentanyl found in toxicology reports are furanyl fentanyl and despropionyl fentanyl or 4-ANPP, the office said. Persons who overdosed are likely to have ingested fentanyl alone or with heroin or other drugs, such as cocaine, the office said.

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—  ‘Elephant tranquilizer’ overdose reported in Cook County —