What Is Gray Death?
In This Article
Gray Death: A Deadly Opioid Combination
Gray Death refers to a fatal substance that combines several different drugs. Gray Death is what it sounds like — gray and deadly.
How Deadly is Gray Death?
Gray Death is very deadly, regardless of its specific drug combination. Over 106,000 people in the U.S. died from drug-involved overdoses in 2021, including illicit drugs like Gray Death and prescription opioids.2
Some Gray Death reports show Carfentanil as an ingredient. Carfentanil is an elephant tranquilizer that is 100 times more potent than Fentanyl.
Regardless of Gray Death’s drug mixture, there’s no doubt that it’s a dangerous blend. These drugs can lead to deadly overdoses, and combining them amplifies that risk.
Other statistics on the use of synthetic opioids like Gray Death include:2,4
- Over 56,000 people in the United States died from synthetic opioid use in 2020
- Synthetic opioid deaths increased by 56% from 2019 to 2020
- Synthetic opioid death made up over 82% of opioid deaths in 2020
- The synthetic opioid death rate was 18 times higher in 2020 than in 2013, suggesting opioid deaths are on the rise
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Can You Overdose on Gray Death?
Yes, you can overdose on Gray Death. If someone you know is exhibiting these signs of an overdose, contact 911 immediately.3
- Constricted or pinpoint pupils
- Unresponsiveness
- Limpness
- Inability to speak
- Slow breathing
- Slow or erratic pulse
- Unconsciousness or difficulty staying conscious
- Gray or blue skin around the fingernails and lips
- Choking or gurgling sounds
- Deep snoring sounds
If someone you’re with shows any of the above signs, it can indicate a drug overdose. Waiting to call for help can be a deadly decision. Reach out to seek emergency medical attention right away.
What is Gray Death?
Gray Death is a potent and synthetic opioid that’s mixed with other drugs on the street. The exact drug mixture varies based on different reports.
It’s comprised of highly addictive and dangerous opioids like:
- Heroin
- Carfentanil
- Fentanyl
- U-47700 (also known as Pink)
The above drugs are dangerous on their own. Mixing them with other chemicals only amplifies the risk and makes them even more harmful, if not deadly.
Many synthetic opioids are controlled under the Controlled Substances Act because they can harm health. Illicitly produced synthetic opioids are even more potent than morphine and heroin and can more easily cause fatal overdoses.5
What Does Gray Death Look Like?
Gray Death is a silvery gray color with a chalky consistency. Some say that it looks a lot like concrete mixing powder.
Gray Death comes in tablet and pill form. Some users take these pills by mouth, while others cut them up to snort, smoke, or inject.
Gray Death Side Effects
Like all opioids, there are many side effects of Gray Death. Some of the most common side effects include:
- Constricted or pinpoint pupils
- Shallow breathing
- Heart failure
- Dizziness
- Clammy or discolored skin
- Loss of consciousness or difficulty staying conscious
- Cravings for the drug
Because Gray Death is very addictive, it can easily lead to drug withdrawal.
Withdrawal from drugs or alcohol has its side effects, including the following:1
- Trembling and tremors
- Dilated pupils
- Muscle pain or aches
- Changes to appetite
- Fatigue
- Sweating
- Irritability
- Depression and/or anxiety
- Nausea with or without vomiting
- Mental stupor
- Changes to sleep
- Paranoia
- Seizures
If you or someone you know is struggling with drug abuse or addiction, seek professional help.
Quitting cold turkey can be fatal. It’s essential to navigate drug withdrawal under the safe guidance of a medical professional.
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Treatment for Gray Death Addiction
Treatment is available if you or someone you know has a drug addiction or is abusing drugs, like Gray Death.6
- Find an inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation center
- Seek holistic therapy in combination with self-care practices
- Talk to a cognitive-behavioral therapist
- Consider group therapy with other people in your shoes
Different treatment options work for different people. You can also combine treatment options, which can help you feel stronger along the road to recovery.
If you’re unsure where to start, talking to a therapist about your addiction is a good place. A therapist can help you unpack the triggers driving you to do drugs, like Gray Death. They can also help you find healthier coping mechanisms for those triggers.
Talk to your doctor about what treatment option is right for you.
Summary
Gray Death is a fatal substance that claims lives. If someone you know is exhibiting signs of an overdose, seek emergency medical attention immediately. Overdosing on Gray Death can be and has been deadly.
If you or someone you know struggles with drug abuse or addiction, reach out for help. Treatment options are available, so you don’t need to navigate the road to recovery alone. Trying to ditch drug use without the help of medical professionals can also be dangerous.
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- “7 Common Withdrawal Symptoms.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- “Drug Overdose Death Rates.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- “Gray Death, a Fatal Synthetic Opioid Combination, Seen as Threat in State.” Hartford HealthCare | CT.
- “Synthetic Opioid Overdose Data.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- “Synthetic Opioids.” Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration.
- “Treatment.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
