Understanding Fentanyl Addiction and Its Deadly Risks

The opioid epidemic continues to take more and more lives every single year. While numbers have been falling, from 84,181 deaths in 2022 to 81,083 in 2023, opioid overdose nevertheless remains the number one killer of men aged 18 to 44 in America.

While prescription drugs, among them OxyContin by Purdue Pharma, dominated most of the deaths in the early years of the opioid epidemic, Fentanyl took over the mantle in 2015 and became the opioid of choice for street users.

Fentanyl is both highly addictive and a very dangerous drug; it’s so easy to overdose on. For a broader understanding, see our comprehensive guide to substance abuse and its impacts. Once this potent synthetic opioid has its claws sunk deep within, you’re powerless to stop your need for your next fix. 

Fentanyl addiction is ravaging American society, with the dangers of fentanyl continuing to ripple through the recreational drug scene as cartels begin adding it to other drugs, like cocaine, heroin, and prescription pills like Xanax.

Fentanyl addiction changes every single aspect of your life, and unless treated, you might just end up chasing that addiction until it finally takes life.

Understanding Fentanyl Medical Properties and Forms

Fentanyl was first synthesized by scientist Paul Janssen back in 1959, approved for use in the medical industry in 1968 as an intravenous anesthetic, and the FDA has classified it as a schedule II medication. 

The drug is still used today to help patients deal with pain symptoms after undergoing surgery. While the data on its current use in the medical system is thin, the global healthcare system used over 3,500-lbs of it in 2015.

The medical versions of Fentanyl come in a range of products, from injectables to nasal sprays and tablets. But according to urban legend, it was the fentanyl transdermal patches that sparked its introduction into the illegal drug supply chain. 

The first recreational users of the drug would chew on the “Duragesic” patches (the leading name brand in transdermal fentanyl applications), to let the drug enter their system. But since the drug was novel and new on the scene, it wasn’t until around 2015 that we saw its emergence in black market form, typically as small, green pills. 

Since its introduction, fentanyl has swept across every state in America, claiming the lives of nearly a million people, possibly more when we consider how the entire recreational drug scene is now contaminated with this powerful opioid. 

The Physiological Effects of Fentanyl

Fentanyl molecules bind to opioid receptors in the central nervous system (CNS) causing a spike in dopamine levels. As the drug takes effect, it removes pain and induces a state of relaxation and euphoria. 

The drug comes on quickly, with the average dose producing a high for 30 to 90-minutes, depending on the users level of addiction, and the purity of the drug they’re using. One of the issues with fentanyl is how incredibly potent this drug is. We all know heroin is a potent opiate, and 30mg of the drug can be enough to cause an overdose in users. 

But with fentanyl being 1,000 times stronger than morphine, just a single dose of 3 grams can kill a fully grown adult man. Factors affecting how a drug will affect an individual’s physiology include your height, body weight, and overall health. So, how does fentanyl play a role in the America of today, and why is it so incredibly dangerous?

Understanding the History and Progression of Fentanyl Abuse in Society

Around a decade after its introduction into the medical system in the late 60s, Fentanyl escaped the system and landed in the hands of street drug dealers. Initially, the drug wasn’t very popular, and hard to procure, with most users preferring heroin as their drug of choice.

The drug flooded the recreational scene in 2015 after the cartels and many other local dealers in the United States, found they could import it directly from China with little risk of the drugs being discovered by the authorities. When Donald Trump pressured Chinese dictator Xi Jinping to stop the illicit flow of the drug into the country, Chinese manufacturers changed their strategy.

They started shipping the “precursor” materials to cartels in Mexico, who would synthesize the drug in large quantities and ship it over the US southern border.

Today, most supply comes from the cartels, who have found that mixing it into other drugs, like counterfeit pills and heroin, improves their profit margins while making lifelong customers out of the addicts who chose to use these narcotics.

Users smoke, snort, or inject the drug, and some intravenous users mix it with an animal tranquilizer called xylazine, otherwise known by its street name, “tranq.” This highly potent synthetic opioid goes by several street names like “Apache,” “TNT,” “Shine,” “Goodfella,” “Fenty,” among many others, depending on where you are in the United States.

What could go wrong if you start using fentanyl? Well, there’s a laundry list of adverse, life-threatening effects for us to run through.

What are the Physiological Effects of Abusing Fentanyl?

The signs of fentanyl addiction can be subtle or severe, depending on the user’s experience with the drug and the size of the dose they use. Here’s the milder fentanyl addiction symptoms that are common in users.

• Constipation, diarrhea, vomiting.
• Dizziness, headache.
• Feeling cold, increased sweating.
• Fatigue, trouble sleeping.
• Loss of appetite, nausea.
• Skin irritation.

These side effects don’t last long and subside in anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The serious side effects of fentanyl abuse include the following.

• Adrenal and androgen deficiency.
• Lower backache.
• Chills, sweating, 
• Fast breathing and heart rate along with increased or low blood pressure.
• Muscle aches, stomach cramps.
• Physical and psychological dependence.
• Withdrawal when attempting to discontinue use.

These are just the basic side effects associated with normal use of fentanyl in clinical settings. When street users overdo their dose, they can experience much more severe side effects. 

They lose their motor skills, are unable to communicate, and in extreme cases, overdose. This leads to the discussion of the next section.

Playing with Your Life: The Dangers of Fentanyl Abuse

Fentanyl and other opioids are among the most addictive yet highly abused drugs in the world. They carry within them the potential for developing tolerance, then leading to abuse, dependence, and addiction. 

It takes just hours of being without the drug and withdrawal symptoms begin to manifest in addicts. There are reports from users who mix fentanyl with xylazine about experiencing withdrawal cravings and symptoms of withdrawal mere minutes after coming down from their last tranq dose.

Below is a list of the symptoms of withdrawal from fentanyl.

• Agitation, irritation, and anxiety.
• Chills and hot and cold flashes accompanied by goosebumps on the skin.
• Diarrhea and vomiting combined with GI distress.
• Insomnia.
• Pain.

A user’s tolerance to fentanyl builds quickly requiring you to use more and more of the drug to get the same high. This chronic addiction won’t go away, and you’ll need to deal with it for the rest of your life. Kicking fentanyl by yourself without medical assistance is next to impossible, and the longer you stay on the drug, the greater your risks of overdosing and losing your life. 

Fentanyl addiction is a strong motivator and sourcing your next hit becomes your primary purpose in life, nothing else really matters to you as you chase the next high. Fentanyl users can end up sharing needles, resulting in them contracting blood-borne diseases that present life-threatening complications if the user doesn’t seek treatment, and they usually don’t because the fear of being committed to a recovery program keeps them away from medical centers and doctors.

A Brush with Death – Defining a Fentanyl Overdose

The biggest risks of fentanyl abuse are addiction and overdose. A single dose of this synthetic opioid is enough to turn your lights out, permanently. Understanding substance abuse and addiction can offer valuable insight for those preparing to seek help. Here are the warning signs that an overdose is upon you. 

• Cold, clammy skin
• Confusion and dizziness.
• Dizziness and feeling like you’re going to faint
• Problems talking and moving.
• Slow heartbeat and shallow breathing.
• Unconsciousness and unresponsiveness to medical assistance.

While fentanyl is commonly cut with other drugs or with filler agents to extend the dealer’s stash, it doesn’t take much to mess up the production process and produce an overly potent batch. If a user takes a dose which they think is normal for them, they could end up overdosing if there’s more fentanyl in the pills or powder than they expect.

Fentanyl overdoses come on fast, and some addicts are found with the needle still in their arm after overdosing. The only way to reverse an overdose is by giving the user Naloxone, known by its brand name, “Narcan.”

This opioid antagonist blocks the drug from entering the opioid receptor sites, bringing the victim back to full awareness in seconds after administration through the nasal cavities. Fentanyl is so potent, and some users have such a high tolerance that medics may need to give them more than one dose of Narcan to bring them around. 

What are the Treatment Options for Fentanyl Addiction?

The treatment for fentanyl addiction involves the use of medical detox strategies to mitigate the withdrawal effects of the drug in the user. At Carrara we understand that addiction is chronic disease and you’ll be dealing with it for the rest of your life. 

Medical detox is the first step in the process of getting clean. Our private doctors use medications such as methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine to block the opioid receptors in your brain, freeing your mind from the torturous cycle of addiction.

When your physiology is free from dependence on Fentanyl to function, it’s time to enter our therapy program with qualified, experienced counselors who work with you on an individual and group basis. 

Break free from Fentanyl Addiction – Book your stay at Carrara Luxury Drug Rehab

If you’re stuck in the grip of addiction to fentanyl and want to clean up, now is the time to strike while the iron is hot, and the thought is fresh in your mind. Call the Carrara admissions team on (323) 302-8170 to get yourself into recovery and live free from the binds that fentanyl holds on your life.

Carrara provides life-changing fentanyl addiction treatment programs that give you lasting results. Through our program for recovering from fentanyl addiction, hundreds of addicts have been able to change their lot in life and get back into society as productive individuals, ready to resume living their lives.

It might feel like fentanyl addiction is running your life, and to a large extent, it is. The bottom line is that you have a choice to make in life, and all it takes to change everything is a phone call to our team to put you back on track.