This may include helping them get clean needles, fentanyl test strips, or connecting them with substance use treatment programs. The most important thing is to keep them alive and healthy so they have the chance to recover when they’re ready. But Sober living house in reality, the central nervous system is being heavily depressed. Their brain, breathing, and motor control are slowing down, often to dangerous levels. If you or someone you care about is struggling with fentanyl or other opioids, don’t wait until it’s too late.
- Your doctor or pharmacist will show you and your family members how to use the medication.
- But fentanyl can be found and obtained on the street, frequently combined with other substances or used as a cutting agent.
Holistic Services
Fentanyl disrupts the normal functioning of the brain, particularly areas responsible for equilibrium and coordination. This can cause lightheadedness or dizziness even before the drug fully takes effect. As the drug overwhelms the central nervous system, it can cause the person to slump forward uncontrollably as they try to compensate for the sudden physical disorientation. It’s important to note that drug-induced nodding off is not the same as falling asleep or acting sleepy because you are tired. Nodding off from fentanyl use is a form of semi-consciousness and can be dangerous.
Prescription names
Keep this medication in the packaging it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children, and in a location that is not easily accessible by others, including visitors to the home. Store fentanyl in a safe place so that no one else can use it accidentally or on purpose. Use the child-resistant locks and other supplies provided by the manufacturer to keep children away from the lozenges.
Deaths involving illegally made fentanyl are rising
If you or someone you care about is seeking support for substance abuse and addiction challenges, we are here to offer our assistance. Getting help doesn’t mean walking into a clinic tomorrow, though that’s okay too. Support can be as simple as calling a confidential hotline, visiting a harm reduction center, or researching your options for detox programs. For families, knowing how to respond in an emergency with tools like naloxone is a strong first move. In many cases, observers may not realize the individual is in medical distress.
As with any opiate, there is a risk of dependency, tolerance, misuse, and addiction with fentanyl. Physical dependence results in withdrawal symptoms when individuals suddenly stop taking the drug. Older people are more likely than younger individuals to experience adverse effects, especially the respiratory depressant effects of fentanyl.
This can result in misuse if someone removes the gel contents from discarded patches. As a prescription, fentanyl is available under the brand name Actiq, which is a throat lozenge, or Duragesic, a patch placed on the skin. If a person is hospitalized or undergoing surgery, a healthcare professional may administer fentanyl as an injection called Sublimaze. Drugs may contain deadly levels of fentanyl, and you wouldn’t be able to see it, taste it, or smell it.
You willl also benefit from the compassionate and skilled care provided by a team of professionals who understand the ups and downs of the recovery process. Fentanyl is a potent opioid that offers pain relief to those who live with severe acute or chronic pain conditions. A person with a substance use disorder might obtain fentanyl by misusing prescribed medication or acquiring the drug from an illegal laboratory. Misuse of fentanyl includes taking it orally, smoking it, snorting it, or injecting it.
- Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers show 84,181 opioid overdose deaths in 2022 to 81,083 and 81,083 in 2023.
- If fentanyl is used by a child or an adult who has not been prescribed the medication, try to remove the medication from the person’s mouth and get emergency medical help.
- When it is intentionally misused, fentanyl often shows up as a powder, spiked on blotter paper or is mixed with or substituted for heroin and other street drugs.
- It is also the cheapest and most potent option on the market—five dollars will buy you a high and take you out of this reality for hours.
- Cities are trying to provide more treatment options, harm reduction services, and education to help people understand that addiction is a medical condition that needs treatment.
Naloxone can reverse the effects of fentanyl and restore normal breathing, but it may require multiple doses due to fentanyl’s potency. It doesn’t matter if the person took fentanyl on https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-is-the-fentanyl-fold/ purpose or if it was hidden in another drug—the risk is the same. Seeing someone bent in the fentanyl fold means that the drug is having a strong, dangerous effect on their body.