The illegal opioid market has existed for a long time. And though the dangers of heroin are huge and well known, in the last few decades, newer synthetic opioids have risen in prominence and continue to worry authorities and the public.
Orphines are an emerging concern on the illegal opioid market. Not a single drug, but instead a family of them, the appearance of orphines in counterfeit medicines and other substances has risen this decade.
They have existed since the 1960s, but this is a new trend that increases overdose risks and other dangers for users. We’re going to look at what orphines are, the wider synthetic opioid risks and the support options available to you.
What Are Orphines?
Orphines is an umbrella term to describe a group of synthetic opioids. They are created to mimic the effects of opioids, producing similar pain relief and sedating effects, whilst also capable of producing a “high” that some people chase.
They typically come in two types. Ones like orphine contain a benzimidazol-2-one core, whilst others like spirorphine have a triazaspirodecanone core.
Common orphines include:
- Brorphine
- Cychlorphine
- Spirochlorphine
- Etodezitramide
- Spirobrorphine
Though appearing in reports and producing similar effects to opioids like morphine, fentanyl and nitazenes, orphines are different. Morphine is a naturally occurring opioid whilst other synthetic opioids (fentanyl and nitazenes) are chemically different with potentially different potencies.
Why Are Orphines Being Described as New?
Orphines were first created in Belgium in the 1960s. One of the drugs created and used was bezitramide, used in Europe before its final withdrawal from legal use after many overdoses in the Netherlands.
Brorphine-like opioids were first reported in 2019 in the US and across Europe.
So, when we talk about “new”, we mean that the wider awareness of the substances has increased as these forms of opioids have begun to turn up more and more in drug seizures and overdose cases around the world. The majority of these opioids were never legal, created out of experiments into chemical structures in the 60s and 70s.
With increased blanket bans of families of drugs, manufacturers look to alternatives to evade legislation, and higher potencies mean they need to produce less, boosting profits.
What Is the Evidence of Their Rise in the UK
A Temporary Class Drug Order (TCDO) was put on 7 orphines in June 2026 as a reaction to the ACMD report from April of that year.
It was reported that there had been more than 15 confirmed deaths involving orphines in England since spring 2025. That being said, involvement does not mean sole cause, just that an orphine was present.
Welsh Emerging Drug Identification Service (Wedinos) noted in their annual report that 36.6% of samples sent in didn’t contain the expected substance, with orphines detected in samples submitted as heroin.
It’s not just the UK either. Since increased controls on nitazenes in China, orphines have emerged more and more across the globe. Cychlorphine alone has been reported in 10 countries and has been involved in 78 fatal overdoses. They are also appearing across Europe and Australian digital drug markets.
This emergence does not automatically indicate a national growth rate or a worldwide epidemic. But it’s a concern that needs better understanding and action before the situation worsens.
Why Are These Synthetic Opioids Concerning
Orphine and other synthetic opioids are dangerous because they act on the central nervous system. These substances slow everything down, suppressing your normal breathing. When you take too much of a CNS depressant, you risk stopping breathing altogether and overdosing.
They are also more potent than opioids like morphine, so a small amount can be deadly. It’s believed that fentanyl is around 50 times more potent than morphine. Recent lab studies have found that Chlorphine is about 10 times stronger than fentanyl.
Synthetic opioids are often mixed into other substances, including heroin, so people are buying one thing but getting unwanted, powerful substances too. Many people are becoming accidentally exposed to synthetic opioids, with one batch being different from the next or contaminated with a different substance.
Why Detection Can Be Difficult
They are difficult to detect because typical opioid screens will miss them, as they are not common substances. They can be detected in labs with specialist methods such as High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography.
Orphines aren’t impossible to detect, but a negative screen result doesn’t mean that a substance is safe. It can just mean the test is not right to detect certain dangerous adulterants present.
Recognising and Responding to an Opioid Overdose
If you recognise an opioid overdose is happening, you need to act quickly.
When someone has slowed or difficult breathing, is unresponsive, or they have collapse, and you suspect drug use, call 999 immediately. Tell the call handler what may have been taken and don’t spend time trying to figure it out or wait for confirmation.
If you have naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, follow the product instructions and guidance from the call handler. Though naloxone can work, the person still needs medical attention, and you should have an ambulance come.
In the situation where the person is not breathing normally, follow the call handler’s CPR instructions. If they are breathing normally but unconscious, put them in the recovery position.
Above all else, stay with the person. Get them somewhere safer if you can and don’t try to get them to vomit or leave them to sleep it off.
Getting Help for Opioid Use
You should speak to your GP or local drug-service assessment if you are experiencing cravings, withdrawal, loss of control or continuing to use opioids despite the damage it is doing to your life.
With these community services, you may be able to get psychological support or opioid substitution treatment, using substances like methadone to help end your opioid dependence.
If you require more structured and urgent care, residential rehab could be an option. During our admissions process, you’ll go through an assessment that can help determine the type of treatment that is best for you.
Residential rehab for opioids can work alongside community services. Through residential addiction treatment, you can undergo a medically assisted detox, if needed, and participate in a range of therapies to help deal with the underlying causes of addiction.
You do not need to have a full picture of the opioids you may have been exposed to. If you feel like they are impacting your life, get professional support and reclaim your life.
Get Professional Support for Opioid Addiction
If you are concerned about yourself or a relative, get in touch with Rehab Clinics Group for a confidential chat about an assessment and our treatment options. Call us on 0800 470 0382 today.
An overdose is an emergency. Do not think about rehab; call 999 now if you suspect someone has overdosed on opioids.
