Right now our current cosy evening in watch is the newest thriller to hit the BBC The Ridge. It’s a six-part drama starring Lauren Lyle as Mia, a doctor who travels to New Zealand to celebrate her sister’s wedding, only to arrive and discover her sister Cassy has been killed.
And so Mia dives head first into investigate mode, interrogating her sister’s fiancé, his family and the small town to find out what her sister has been really doing for the last few years.
Oh, and that’s not all Mia’s got to deal with. She’s also still processing the childhood trauma she and Cassy went through from their mother, and she’s is also dealing with a pretty strong drug addition to Duranyl patches.
BBC
But are Duranyl patches real? And what exactly are they? We spoke to a doctor to find out.
What are Duranyl patches in The Ridge?
Duranyl is a fictional drug created for The Ridge, however, it is thought to be similar to opioids such as Fentanyl, which can be administered in patch form.
How are Fentanyl patches used in real life?
Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor told Cosmopolitan UK, these “medications are prescribed primarily for severe pain, often in patients with cancer or chronic pain that is not controlled by weaker analgesics.”
She added they work by, “binding to opioid receptors in the brain, reducing the perception of pain, but they come with significant risks.”
Dr Wylie explains those side effects can include but are not limited to: “drowsiness, constipation, nausea, and, crucially, respiratory depression, which can be life-threatening.”
She also clarifies just how addictive the patches can be, as seen in the series by Mia’s addiction to the patches, so much so that she steals them from the hospital she works at in order to be able to carry on using them.
“Even when prescribed appropriately, strong opioids require careful monitoring, dose titration, and clear guidance for patients and their families,” Dr Wylie explains.
The Ridge continues on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer