The fentanyl crisis has become a significant public health issue in recent years. Its potency and widespread availability have contributed to a dramatic increase in opioid-related deaths. Specifically, at least 80% of overdoses are due to non-prescription substances. This percentage may be even higher as fentanyl can easily be mixed with other drugs, often without the user’s knowledge, which has made it particularly dangerous.

Why is it so dangerous?

You must immediately dispose of any medication that is outdated or no longer needed through a medicine take-back program. If you do not have a take-back program nearby or one that you can access promptly, then flush the fentanyl down the toilet so that others will not take it. Dispose of unneeded lozenges by removing each lozenge from the blister package, holding the lozenge over the toilet, and cutting off the medicine end with wire cutters so that it falls into the toilet.

How Does Fentanyl Affect The Body?

In some cases, a person’s chest may become very stiff (called “chest wall rigidity” or “wooden chest”). This can make it harder https://ecosoberhouse.com/ for the victim to breathe and for a responder to do chest compressions. Fentanyl test strips are a low-cost method of helping prevent overdoses. They can be used on a tablet to see whether it contains fentanyl. While this is not a 100% safety net, it is one tool that can help prevent an overdose. The liquid form is often dropped on paper or small candy, leading to the potential for tragic deaths among children.

Harm Reduction Needs You. Join the Movement.

• Fentanyl produces paradoxical effects on muscles, simultaneously causing both rigidity and weakness.
• After detox, residential treatment provides a structured environment for recovery.
• Your doctor may also prescribe you naloxone if you are living in a household where there are small children or someone who has abused street or prescription drugs.
• Inpatient treatment can provide you with a safe environment where you can detox and learn the tools necessary for a healthy recovery.

We’ll help you build the foundation for lasting recovery through evidence-based care tailored to your needs. Your path to healing awaits – reach out for a confidential consultation. There are few positive outcomes for someone with a fentanyl addiction, as it can negatively impact many areas of a person’s life. Fentanyl and other opioids can make fentanyl hunch the person who took it feel euphoric, alleviating emotional and physical pain.

This loss of control is particularly evident in the back and neck muscles, resulting in the user bending forward or hunching over. This posture is often involuntary and indicative of the drug’s profound impact on the brain’s motor functions. It can cause harm or death to people with opioid use disorders or who may have accidental exposure to the drug. Fentanyl is a potent opioid that offers pain relief to those who live with severe acute or chronic pain conditions. A healthcare professional may prescribe it to treat severe pain. A person with opioid use disorder has an increased risk of overdose.

Prescription Fentanyl Abuse

Naloxone/naltrexone are robust opioid antagonists that function by blocking µ-receptors. The FDA has approved these antidote medications for emergency treatment of patients with known or suspected opioid overdose experiencing respiratory and/or central nervous system (CNS) depression. Common routes of naloxone administration include IV, IM, IN, or subcutaneous (SC). Researchers have recently posed a caveat regarding the intranasal route for naloxone administration. Since the incidence of obstructive nasal pathology is relatively high in patients who experience serious OIRD, there is documentation of relevant instances of treatment failures when using the IN formulations. Using fentanyl regularly can lead to an opioid use disorder (OUD).

Treatment options for fentanyl addiction

In 2022, the US Drug Enforcement Agency seized brightly colored fentanyl pills and powder (“rainbow fentanyl”), demonstrating that fentanyl can come in various colors and formulations. The large number of overdose deaths involving fentanyl highlights the need to ensure people most at risk can access care, as well as the need to expand prevention and response activities. Fentanyl’s effect on the central nervous system leads to intense relaxation and muscle weakness, causing users to lose control over their body posture.

Symptoms Of Fentanyl Addiction

In the darkness of addiction, pinpoints of light still break through. I’ve sat in recovery meetings where people who once seemed beyond reach share stories of rebuilding their lives piece by piece. Always call 911 if someone is unconscious or unresponsive, even if they appear to be breathing. A fentanyl user for the past two years, Jeff Barlow tried to explain why users tend to double over in such extreme angles. The “fentanyl fold” effect can reportedly kick in within two or three minutes after taking the drug, Ciccarone said. “It’s a degree of loss of consciousness and a degree of lost muscular control,” Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a UCSF professor of addiction medicine, told ABC7 San Francisco.

This exposure garnered both disdain and empathy as the real-life effects of fentanyl abuse were put on display. Nodding off is a physical condition that is a direct result of the depressant effect Fentanyl has on the human body’s central nervous system. The central nervous system will begin to shut down resulting in the loss of motor control, often this results in the core muscles not engaging properly, resulting in a forward bend or fold, and sometimes a backwards lean. People will also display a rocking or teetering motion as they struggle to regain balance, this motion reflects the bodies inability to stay alert while under the influence of Fentanyl.

• Fentanyl test strips are a low-cost method of helping prevent overdoses.
• Specifically, at least 80% of overdoses are due to non-prescription substances.
• This happens when the brain can no longer send signals to the muscles about how to stay upright.
• While more research is needed on the causes of fentanyl fold, it is clear that it is an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous side-effect of fentanyl use.

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Heroin Hunch?

You observe a concerning pattern in their respiration rate—noticeably slower than normal, with periodic episodes of apnea followed by compensatory shallow breaths. People may begin using fentanyl to cope with mental health conditions, such Oxford House as anxiety and depression. However, long-term misuse can ultimately worsen these conditions.