Doctors in Houston County warn against ‘Percocet’ fakes

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Another outbreak of fake prescription pills this time in Houston County has police looking into the substance that sent several people to the hospital.

Health professionals say it’s important for people to know what these pills are and what they’re capable of.

“It’s about 10,000 times more powerful than morphine so it’s a very powerful drug,” said Houston Medical’s Dr. Dan Stewart.

These potent pills could end your life just by touching them.

“Even just picking up the pills and getting it on your fingers could make you really sick,” he explained.

Stewart says to stay away from buying pills on the street after seven people in Warner Robins overdosed on what they thought was Percocet.

“This was called Carphentanyl, which is an analog much stronger than anything we use regularly in medicine.”

Stewart says the symptoms of this drug were similar to those in the last outbreak in June.

“Altered mental status, respiratory depression (not breathing very well), and hypertension like a kind of shock,” he said.

But the pills are so strong, they could take your breath away–literally.

“Because this is such a potent narcotic, it knocks out the respiratory drive in the deep mid-brain.”

The pills look like what you’d get from the pharmacy.

“It was a copy-cat pill designed to look like Xanax or Percocet.”

But, Stewart says you’ll know if it’s real because typically the pharmaceutical company’s brand is stamped into each pill.

“They were designed to look like those pills but obviously not,” he went on.

Stewart says the only way to be 100% safe is avoiding them all together.

Houston Medical was unable to release any information about the status of any of the patients admitted for using the pills.

But again, Stewart says to avoid buying drugs off the street at all costs because it could cost you your life.