logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
41m 8s

157: The Painkiller Problem: How Fentany...

Audioboom Studios
About this episode
Hi friends, happy Wednesday!

Last year I had a surgery so that I could breathe again, and it’s been nice, thanks for asking! I love breathing. But when I was in the hospital, the doctors gave me some really strong pain medication. 

I asked what it was, and the doctor told me it was fentanyl. At first I was like..fentanyl??? Doesn't that kill everyone? But after a few seconds hey… this is working really well. 

Turns out, Fentanyl has been used in hospitals for a LONG time. It’s used in epidurals, it’s prescribed for cancer patients, and there was a time when doctors were even putting it in LOLLIPOPS. 

Even though it feels like fentanyl came out of nowhere over the last few years, it has a long and crazy history. 

So how did America, big pharma, and a well meaning scientist create the most powerful and deadly opioid in history? WHERE is this stuff even coming from? And how did the fentanyl epidemic become a problem too big to stop? 

I appreciate you for coming by, and tune in next week for more Dark History.

Want some cool Bailey Merch?
Shop Dark History Merch: https://www.baileysarian.com

Also, I sometimes talk about my Good Reads in the show. So here's the link if you want to check it out. IDK. lol: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/139701263-bailey

________

FOLLOW ME AROUND 
Tik Tok: https://bit.ly/3e3jL9v
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2nbO4PR
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2mdZtK6
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2yT4BLV
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2mVpXnY
Youtube: http://bit.ly/1HGw3Og
Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3cC0V9d
Discord: https://discord.gg/BaileySarian

RECOMMEND A STORY HERE: cases4bailey@gmail.com 

Business Related Emails: bailey@underscoretalent.com

Business Related Mail: 
Bailey Sarian 
4400 W. Riverside Dr., Ste 110-300 
Burbank, CA 91505

________

This podcast is Executive Produced by:
Bailey Sarian & Kevin Grosch and Joey Scavuzzo from Made In Network
Head Writer: Allyson Philobos
Writer: Katie Burris
Additional Writing: Emma Lehman
Research provided by: Coleen Smith 
Special thank you to our Historical Consultant: Dr. Patrick Lockwood
Director: Brian Jaggers
Additional Editing: Maria Norris, Julien Perez
Post Supervisor: Kelly Hardin 
Production Management: Ross Woodruff
Hair: Luca Burnett
Makeup: Jill Powell

________

Visit https://www.rosettastone.com/darkhistory for 50% off unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your life!

Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://www.Zocdoc.com/DARKHISTORY to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. 

Personal styling for everyone—get started today at https://www.StitchFix.com/DARKHISTORY

For a limited time get 40% off your first box PLUS get a free item in every box for life at https://www.Hungryroot.com/darkhistory and use code darkhistory. 

Shop SKIMS best intimates including the Fits Everybody Collection and more at SKIMS.com and SKIMS stores. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Up next
Yesterday
185: The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances, Dead Ends, and the Dark Truth Beneath It All
Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So listen. I learned about a place in Alaska where more than 20,000 people have vanished — planes, hikers, politicians — and almost none have ever been found. And I had to do an episode on it. It’s called the Alaska Triangle and it's a remote stretch ... Show More
56m 29s
Oct 1
184: The Devil's Secretaries or Scapegoats? The Witches History Erased
Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other night I was deep into my usual bedtime routine of doomscrolling, and I stumbled across this headline that said: “DID YOU KNOW: The Last Witch Trial Was in 1944.” And I was like… I’m sorry, what? 1944? Like while the rest of the world was ... Show More
58m 47s
Sep 17
183: The MESSY Life of Ronald Reagan: Snitching, Scandals & DEADLY Decision
Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other day, I was googling jelly beans. Don’t ask why, I was in a mood. But I ended up falling down a rabbit hole, and suddenly… I was reading about Ronald Reagan. Apparently, Reagan was *obsessed* with jelly beans. I guess he started eating the ... Show More
1h 10m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
"People die, they should just get over it." - The Monster Who Haunted Australia: Ivan Milat
Hi friends, happy Tuesday! Okay look... this episode might be a bit, let’s say, unsettling. It unpacks the story of one of Australia’s most notorious serial killers and his horrifying crimes against young travelers didn't just shock the Land Down Under... but the entire world. Fr ... Show More
53m 42s
Sep 16
Trapped & Left to Die...in a suitcase?! WTF was Sarah Boone Thinking?
Hi friends, happy Tuesday! Sarah Boone and Jorge Torres Jr. had a history of violent fights, but when Jorge was found dead inside a suitcase, Sarah had a bizarre excuse: hide and seek gone wrong. WTF?! At first, she claimed it was a tragic accident—until police found videos of he ... Show More
57m 17s
Aug 19
Serial Killers, Cults, & Cannibals: The *TWISTED* Case of Ottis Toole
Hi friends, happy Tuesday! I've been putting out episodes of MMM for a while now, but occasionally I come across a story that shakes me to my core. And keeps me up at night. This is one of them. The story of Ottis Toole (and his literal partner in crime Henry Lee Lucas) involves ... Show More
40m 57s
Aug 22
The Medical Matchmaking Machine
As he finished his medical school exam, David Fajgenbaum felt off. He walked down to the ER and checked himself in. Soon he was in the ICU with multiple organ failure. The only drug for his condition didn’t work. He had months to live, if that. If he was going to survive, he was ... Show More
1h 1m
Apr 2025
Who Killed Emily Pike? No More Stolen Sisters
On February 14th, 2025, 14-year-old Emily Pike’s dismembered body was found in garbage bags in a remote part of an Arizonan forest. This discovery came about three weeks after she had gone missing. Not only was this a horrible crime committed against a child, but Emily was also a ... Show More
1 h
Nov 2024
348: Moody Massacre (Scott Moody)
In the early morning hours of Sunday, May 29th, 2005, shots rang out from the Shaker Farm in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Nikki Vagades received a call from her 15-year-old step sister, begging for help. When Nikki arrived at the farmhouse, she immediately called 911. Detectives arrived ... Show More
58m 16s
Oct 7
The BDSM Texts That Exposed a Killer: The Elaine O’Hara Case (Podcast Exclusive)
Hi friends, Happy Tuesday! I'm so excited. I have a new AUDIO EXCLUSIVE for you!! It started with a shocking discovery: handcuffs, leg irons, and a knife — tools of control found sunken at the bottom of a drained reservoir. To investigators, the discovery wasn't just debris; it w ... Show More
47m 22s
Apr 2025
Poison Expert Allegedly Spikes Wife’s Smoothie?! The Case of Betty Bowman
On August 20th, 2023, 32-year-old Betty Bowman died in the hospital, where she suffered from heart problems, lung problems, and needing part of her colon removed. Toxicology reports showed a drug in her system that was not supposed to be there. Her husband, Connor Bowman, was cha ... Show More
48m 57s