what is fentanyl addiction

Bystanders administered naloxone and performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. He was taken to a hospital, where he spent 3 days in the intensive care unit. He went on to recover and was discharged to a rehabilitation program. This campaign also shows the difference between counterfeit pills and real pills. People who take fentanyl may develop a tolerance to high doses, meaning that more of the drug is needed to achieve the desired effect.

what is fentanyl addiction

Naloxone (Narcan) for fentanyl overdose

Many states have laws that protect not only the person who calls for help, but also the person overdosing from legal trouble. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates more than 258,000 people how long does iv fentanyl stay in your system died from fentanyl overdose between 2013 and 2021. Sometimes people freeze fentanyl patches and cut them into smaller portions. Then they put these small pieces in their cheeks or under their tongue.

what is fentanyl addiction

Sept. 20, 2024: National Advocacy Update

People can test positive for fentanyl for 3 to 5 days after last use. Older people are more likely than younger individuals to experience adverse effects, especially the respiratory depressant effects of fentanyl. Healthcare professionals will typically monitor people in this age group. If you unknowingly take fentanyl in another drug, you may overdose since fentanyl is so potent.

what is fentanyl addiction

More on Substance Abuse and Addiction

  • The chemical xylazine is also being mixed with fentanyl by drug gangs.
  • You may opt out of receiving STAT communications at any time.
  • Fentanyl has been found in many different drugs, including heroin, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine and ketamine.
  • We cannot bill for the cultural services, for the traditional medicine that is so critical for people to recover.

This process of adulteration occurs when a substance (like heroin) is laced with another substance (like fentanyl), unbeknownst to the user. Because fentanyl is so potent and commonly found in the drug supply, it is easy for people to accidentally overdose on fentanyl. A fentanyl overdose can occur after the drug is injected, swallowed, snorted, or smoked. Symptoms of a fentanyl overdose, including slow or absent breathing, generally occur within minutes of the overdose.

National surveys compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already show an unprecedented decline in drug deaths of roughly 10.6 percent. That’s a huge reversal from recent years when fatal overdoses regularly increased by double-digit percentages. Fentanyl is a powerful drug that was designed to be used as a pain-relieving medicine called an analgesic. But it has come to play a major role in drug overdoses and substance use disorders across the United States. When a drug is unknowingly mixed with another substance, it is called an adulterant (Singh et al., 2020).

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what is fentanyl addiction

The opioid crisis and increased danger of street drugs explained.