Prescription Drugs
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate whose chemical structure is similar to that of morphine and heroin. Fentanyl is a pain medication used after surgery or for chronic fatal illnesses. When misused, drug abusers can feel the same effects as heroin. Fentanyl is increasingly being manufactured in illegal, unapproved laboratories where its chemical composition and purity are not regulated, making it even more dangerous. This drug is obtainable illegally by extraction from therapeutic pain-relieving patches designed for suffering patients. After manufacture, fentanyl is sold on the street in powdered form, where it is often combined with cocaine or heroin in varying proportions.
Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab, stated, “An overdose of fentanyl (or other opiates such as heroin, oxycontin, or methadone) can cause fatal hypoventilation; basically, these drugs can cause the user to stop breathing.”
The line between eliminating pain and causing a person to stop breathing is all too easy to cross. Dosages must be calculated precisely, with allowances made for the patient’s age, weight, general health, and drug history. When a person overdoses, they can pass out, and can suffocate on food or on his or her own vomit. A person who abuses fentanyl is truly just one breath away from dying.
Mixing With Other Drugs
Used appropriately, opiates like fentanyl are a gift to suffering patients. Used illegally, the fine line between pain relief and death from respiratory arrest is easy to cross—too easy, as is shown by the deaths of hundreds of drug users in just the last few months alone after taking fentanyl.
Where fentanyl is concerned, many drug users are not aware that the “pure” heroin or cocaine that they believe they are using, is not “pure” at all. It actually has been mixed or “cut” with fentanyl. Heroin and cocaine are dangerous enough in themselves and physicians see many deaths each year due to overdoses. When fentanyl is added, though, the risks of overdose and death increase substantially. The correct action is to get the person into drug rehab so they don’t put their life at risk.
Persons using heroin or cocaine, or in treatment/recovery from such use need to know that:
- The potency of street-sold heroin or cocaine is amplified markedly by fentanyl.
- One may not know that the heroin or cocaine has been cut with fentanyl.
- Because the potency of the drug purchased on the street is not known, and because the inclusion of fentanyl may not be disclosed, ANY use – even a reduced dose – can result in overdose or death.
Effects of Fentanyl
The effects of an overdose occur rapidly, particularly with this potent combination of drugs. Critical treatment minutes can be lost because emergency room personnel may not be aware that fentanyl is not detected in standard toxicology screens.
Quickly detecting and treating overdoses is imperative if the person’s life is going to be saved. These are some facts:
- Fentanyl-related overdoses can result in sudden death through respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, severe respiratory depression, cardiovascular collapse or severe anaphylactic reaction.
- Routine toxicology screens for opiates will not detect fentanyl. Some labs can test for fentanyl when specifically requested.
Because these drugs, in combination, can be lethal if action is not taken promptly, suspected overdoses should be treated rapidly with a naloxone injection, 0.4-2 mg IV, SC or IM every 2 to 3 minutes which should rapidly reverse symptoms related to a narcotic overdose. Naloxone can also precipitate immediate narcotic withdrawal symptoms as overdose symptoms are reversed. If there is no response after 10 minutes, a different diagnosis should be considered.
Fentanyl withdrawal can be a painful process, particularly after heavy use. Symptoms are typically experienced within hours of stopping the use and can last up to several weeks after, depending on the intensity of Fentanyl use. Symptoms of Fentanyl withdrawal can include sweating, malaise, anxiety, depression, cramp-like pains in the muscles, severe muscle and bone aching, leg kicking (kicking the habit), yawning, sneezing, tears, severe and long lasting sleep difficulties (insomnia), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, goose bump skin (cold turkey), cramps, and fever. Some patients complain of a painful condition called “itchy blood”, which results in compulsive scratching causing bruising and open sores on the skin. All of these symptoms can be quite pronounced, causing the patient to experience such intense pain and suffering that a “cold turkey” withdrawal is unbearable, causing the patient to continue their drug use.
The Narconon Drug Rehab Program includes these life skills tools, as well as body detoxification through a sauna and exercise program that helps eliminate or reduce cravings. The program is medically supervised.
