University of Florida researchers said that the fentanyl patches, usually prescribed to treat chronic or postoperative pain, can be deadly. "Because the patch is a sustained-release form of the drug, if one withdraws the 72 hours' worth of drug and uses it in a form that it wasn't designed to be used for, then it can rapidly result in death," said lead researcher Bruce Goldberger, Ph.D.

Florida officials say that 115 overdose deaths statewide were attributed to the fentanyl patch last year; victims sometimes removed the entire three-day supply of the drug from the patch and then injected, ingested, or smoked it; others had used multiple patches at once to get high.

"We have seen an increased use and abuse of the patch form of fentanyl for the past five years or so," Goldberger said. "Based on our study we're recommending that physicians better educate their patients on the use of the patch, and, as a result, we might see lower numbers in fentanyl-related deaths in the state of Florida."

The research was presented at the recent annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.

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