Fentanyl is a synthetic medicine that your physician may prescribe for pain relief for back surgery or cancer treatment. It can be stronger than the dose of morphine. Ever since it has become popular, the cases of overdosing have also increased in the US. Yet, people don’t know much about this addictive drug. If you listen to the experts, you would realize that the drug functions by blocking pain receptors and releasing the happiness chemical ‘dopamine’ in the brain. If you feel you have developed an addiction to it, you could be correct. The opioid can be very addictive. And if you overdose on it, you may have already become dependent on it.
Risks of misusing fentanyl
Fentanyl misuse can be fatal. If you don’t seek help on time, it can prove dangerous. And when it combines with other drugs, the risk of overdosing can be hard to avoid. Because of growing dependence, you can become tolerant of the drug. Your brain would function the same way under its effect, but you may not feel anything with the regular dosage. However, over time, the craving for it can set in, making you addicted to it. Injecting this drug in your body can cause blood clotting, infections, sepsis, inflammation, etc. Besides, you can feel drowsy, fall unconscious, or face confusion. All these states can be harmful, especially if you self-drive.
Some of the drug’s common side-effects include intense cravings, misuse of relationships, avoiding social and family meetings, consumption of a higher dose to experience the effect, feeling helpless when trying to quit the habit, withdrawal symptoms, and so on. Events like mood swings, fatigue, bloody eyes, sudden weight changes, etc., can also happen.
Fentanyl misuse or overdose can also manifest in physical forms, such as itching, headaches, difficulty breathing, vomiting, nausea, constipation, blurry vision, and seizures. And when you try to stop its consumption, you can experience withdrawal symptoms like diarrhea, sweating, runny nose, yawning, anxiety, depression, sleep loss, muscle pain, high BP, stomach pain, etc. During this, you can feel very sick. Cravings can increase to the extent where you may end up consuming it. But if you are ready to accept help, it is better to visit a qualified and well-equipped rehab center.
Fentanyl addiction treatment in five steps
You get many options when it comes to treating fentanyl abuse. Some believe that you can start depending on it even when you don’t misuse it consciously. That’s why it is necessary to slowly get rid of it until you are ready to live without this drug. And for this, consulting your physician is a must. They can ask you to reduce its use to slowly control your dose intake and eliminate the risk of withdrawal symptoms. Overall, the treatment can involve five steps:
- Consultation with doctor
- Blood and urine test
- Prescription medication
- Harm reduction
- A residential or outpatient detox treatment program
So, as hinted already, when you feel there is something wrong with your habit of taking fentanyl, you should reach out to your physician for help with dosage control. The doctor can advise blood or urine examination to understand the drug’s quantity present in your system. After reports, your physician can prescribe medicines to tackle withdrawal and other health issues as your fentanyl consumption goes down. Usually, they replace this drug with methadone or buprenorphine before removing these replacements also.
The detox process can take up to 5 – 7 days or even ten days and more based on how different patients respond. However, only a clear assessment can determine the time someone would take to improve. For this procedure, you may have to visit a specialized substance abuse treatment center. You can look for the rehab centers in Milwaukee or an inpatient drug rehab in Wichita, KS, based on where you live. You would come across some excellent inpatient rehab units in these cities. In the residential facility, you get medical and mental health attention round the clock. Your safety will be their responsibility.
The staff at these residential facilities would monitor your signs and give medicines to control emotional and physical withdrawal outbursts. People say that residential programs like these can be extremely beneficial for fentanyl abuse treatment.
Besides, you can also expect harm reduction therapies that recognize that the patient may not be fully prepared to stop using the drug. Hence, they show the safe ways of injecting it. The process helps reduce the risks of infections or disease transmission.
If you or your loved one is having a fentanyl addiction, you must not allow it to overwhelm anyone of you. Recovery is possible if you follow the proper course of treatment. It is also essential for the security of your life. Hence, don’t delay taking help anymore. Once it is successful, you would notice changes in your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
