Over the past decade, fentanyl has been responsible for a dramatic spike in overdose deaths throughout the Tampa Bay region.
Contact Tampa Bay Recovery Center today to begin fentanyl rehab in Tampa, FL.
A Brief History of Fentanyl
Fentanyl is a synthetic, or lab-created, opioid that was first synthesized by Belgian physician Paul Janssen in 1960.
The drug began to be used as an analgesic (painkiller) in Europe in 1963, and it earned initial approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1968. Today, medical professionals throughout the world use it to treat severe pain due to surgery, cancer, and other causes.
A December 2014 article in The Journal of Pain described fentanyl as “one of the world’s most important and frequently used opioid analgesics.”
Since the mid-2010s, fentanyl and its analogs – illicitly manufactured drugs that are structurally similar to fentanyl – have been at the center of what experts refer to as the “third wave” of the overdose epidemic in the U.S.
What to Know About Fentanyl in Tampa Bay
Here are five quick facts about fentanyl in Tampa Bay:
- The drug remains a prevalent threat to the lives of people who engage in recreational opioid use.
- Recreational opioid users in the area are also being harmed by fentanyl analogs.
- The danger posed by fentanyl and its analogs can be magnified considerably if they are combined with other substances, which many opioid users do.
- From 2016-2022, the annual number of fentanyl-involved deaths in Pinellas and Pasco counties increased by 925%.
- From 2016-2024, at least 3,662 people in the Tampa Bay area died with fentanyl in their system.
Every year, Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission publishes a report detailing all drugs found in the systems of deceased persons during the previous year.
The commission’s most recent final report, which was published in October 2025, covers the 2024 calendar year. In May 2026, the commission published an interim report that addressed drug-involved deaths from the first six months of 2025.
These reports do not include city-specific information, but they do break the data down into 25 districts. District 6 is comprised of Pinellas and Pasco counties, which are home to the majority of residents in the Tampa Bay region.
Fentanyl Deaths in the Tampa Bay Area
In 2024, District 6 medical examiners found that 402 people died with fentanyl in their system. This accounted for about 11% of all fentanyl-involved deaths throughout Florida that year.
Additional information about the 402 people who died with fentanyl in their system in Pinellas or Pasco county:
- Fentanyl was identified as a cause of 383 (95.3%) of those deaths.
- In 375 cases (93.3% of all fentanyl-involved deaths), the individual had multiple drugs in their system at time of death.
- Of the 27 people who died with only fentanyl in their system, the drug was identified as the cause of all but one of the deaths.
- 288 deaths (75% of all fentanyl-caused deaths in 2024), involved individuals ages 35 and above.
Fentanyl Analog Deaths in the Tampa Bay Area
The District 6 medical examiners also reported that 28 people had fentanyl analogs in their system at time of death:
- The analogs were identified as cause of death in 19 cases (68%).
- 19 of the deaths also involved people who had other drugs in their system.
- 10 of the analog-caused deaths involved people ages 35 and above.
- The other nine involved people in the 18-34 age range.
Are Fentanyl Deaths Declining in in Tampa Bay Area?
The medical examiners’ interim report for 2025 indicates that fentanyl in Tampa Bay may have been involved in far fewer deaths than in the previous year.
In the first six months of 2025:
- Fentanyl was present in 137 deceased individuals.
- Fentanyl was identified as a cause of 120 deaths, or 87.6% of the total.
- 129 deaths (94.2%) involved people who had multiple substances in their system.
If these statistics remain consistent through the second half of 2025, that would result in a total of 274 deaths for the year, which represent a decrease of 31.8% from 2024.
If 2025 ends up with fewer fentanyl-involved deaths than 2024, that would continue a downward trend that began in 2023, which followed six straight years of significant increases.
Here are the annual totals of deaths involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in District 6 since 2016:
- 2023: 606 deaths with fentanyl, 62 deaths with fentanyl analogs
- 2022: 718 deaths with fentanyl, 125 deaths with fentanyl analogs
- 2021: 654 deaths with fentanyl, 69 deaths with fentanyl analogs
- 2020: 591 deaths with fentanyl, 57 deaths with fentanyl analogs
- 2019: 338 deaths with fentanyl, 92 deaths with fentanyl analogs
- 2018: 198 deaths with fentanyl, 149 deaths with fentanyl analogs
- 2017: 85 deaths with fentanyl, 110 deaths with fentanyl analogs
- 2016: 70 deaths with fentanyl, 49 deaths with fentanyl analogs
Fentanyl Overdose: Symptoms & Response
Fentanyl’s potency means that a dose as small as 2 milligrams, which is the size of a few grains of salt, can be fatal. Being able to recognize the signs of fentanyl overdose and knowing how to respond can make a literal life-or-death difference.
Fentanyl Overdose Symptoms
Typical signs of fentanyl overdose include:
- Constricted (pinpoint) pupils
- Loss of consciousness
- Inability to be awakened
- Snoring or gurgling sound
- Slow heartbeat and faint pulse
- Extremely slow, shallow, or labored breathing
- Skin that is cool or clammy to the touch
- Blue or purple coloring near lips and fingertips
How to Respond to a Fentanyl Overdose
If you are with someone who exhibits the types of symptoms listed above after using fentanyl, a rapid response is essential:
- Call 911 and remain with the person until first responders arrive.
- If you have to leave them even temporarily, place them on their side with one of their knees bent. This is known as the recovery position, and it can prevent them from choking if they vomit.
- If you have naloxone (Narcan), administer it immediately before or after calling 911.
- Even if the person is revived with Narcan, they still need to be assessed by a qualified medical professional. Narcan’s effects wear off within 30-90 minutes, so the person may still be in danger even if they initially appear to be OK.
- When first responders arrive, tell them as much as you can about which drugs the individual had been using, how much they took, and when they began to show signs of overdose.
Learn More About Fentanyl Addiction Treatment in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Recovery Center offers personalized outpatient care in a safe and highly supportive environment for adults who have become addicted to fentanyl and other drugs. We also provide dual diagnosis programming for clients with co-occurring mental health concerns.
Fentanyl addiction can have a devastating impact on virtually every part of your life. But with our help and a concerted effort on your part, you can stop using this dangerous drug and begin to live a much healthier and more hopeful life in recovery.
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
