Fentanyl addiction treatment that actually works

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid painkiller prescribed for acute, chronic, or long-lasting pain, and depending on purity, can be 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. It may be prescribed as an adhesive skin patch, as a sublingual spray, or as a dissolvable lozenge.

Brand names include: Duragesic, Actiq, Fentora, and Sublimaze.

Fentanyl is typically used to treat patients with chronic severe pain – such as those battling cancer, fibromyalgia, etc. – or for those experiencing severe pain following surgery. It may also be prescribed for other types of pain in those who have been taking opioid medications for a long time after other, weaker painkillers stop working.

Early opioid withdrawal symptoms include:

• Agitation and anxiety
• Restlessness
• Difficulty sleeping
• Muscle aches
• Increased tearing
• Insomnia
• Runny nose
• Excessive sweating
• Yawning
• Goosebumps

Later opioid withdrawal symptoms are even more intense and uncomfortable:

• Abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea
• Dilated pupils
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abnormal heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Seizures

Anti-addiction medications approved for the treatment of opioid addiction, including Suboxone (buprenorphine with naloxone) and Vivitrol (long-lasting naltrexone), act on the same receptors as fentanyl but are dramatically safer and unlikely to result in addiction.

These medications can alleviate many of the uncomfortable physical effects of fentanyl withdrawal, while at the same time reducing cravings. This allows patients to stay engaged and participate fully in treatment.

Most opioid users don’t start out using fentanyl, they usually begin with a legitimate prescription for medications such as OxyContin or Vicodin from their doctor or dentist.

Many people who start out using these pills and become addicted face a dilemma when their prescription runs out: try to source them on the street, which can be difficult and expensive, or turn to alternatives like heroin and, increasingly, fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a controversial medication for its role in the recent and ongoing opioid epidemic.

Since around 2013, fentanyl has increasingly found its way into illegal drug markets. Due to its potency, traffickers can increase profit margins by mixing it in (or “cutting”) with other substances. It’s now extremely common to find fentanyl in everything from heroin to cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and since 2016 it is the most common cause of overdose deaths in the United States.

Most illegal fentanyl comes from unregulated clandestine laboratories in China and Southeast Asia, with much of it smuggled into the United States through Mexico.

Yes. Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance for its highly addictive properties, so it is illegal to possess and use without a prescription.

A potentially lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be only about 2 milligrams. For reference, a single grain of rice typically weighs about 20 milligrams.

Fentanyl can be detected using an analysis of blood within 5 and 48 hours after the last use, depending on the amount taken. With a urinalysis test, it may be detected within 24 to 72 hours after the last use. Hair follicle testing may be able to detect the drug for up to 3 months.

Fentanyl test strips and kits are a reliable method to test whether an unknown powder or liquid contains the drug. However, possession of these test strips is currently only legal in 22 states. Possession in Texas, for example, is still prohibited.