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**Fentanyl** is a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is commonly used in medical settings for pain relief, especially for patients with severe chronic pain or those undergoing surgery. However, **fentanyl** has also gained notoriety as a dangerous and illicit drug that is responsible for a significant number of overdose deaths.
The Appeal of Fentanyl
Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids, including fentanyl. Keeping it on hand could mean the difference between life and death — for you or someone else. Naloxone is available at many pharmacies in Texas without a prescription. Illegally manufactured fentanyl is found in heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and in counterfeit pills. As a result, many people may not know they’re ingesting fentanyl, leading to an accidental poisoning. A person taking prescription fentanyl as instructed by a doctor can experience dependence, which is characterized by withdrawal symptoms when the drug is stopped.
Other Types Of Opioids
Milligram per milligram, fentanyl is roughly 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. From Xanax to cocaine, drugs or counterfeit pills purchased in nonmedical settings may contain life-threatening amounts of fentanyl. Fentanyl can also be found co-mingled either intentionally or unintentionally with other drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine. This is particularly dangerous as a person who uses stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine may be opioid naïve and at higher risk for overdose if they are exposed to fentanyl. Fentanyl is also often found in counterfeit pressed pills made to look like oxycodone (M30s), Xanax, and other prescription pills.
Despite the risks associated with **fentanyl**, there are several reasons why people may choose to buy and use this drug:
Lifestyle Tips To Reduce Your Cancer Risk
1. Potency
Because **fentanyl** is so potent, it can provide a quick and intense high for users. This can be appealing to individuals who are seeking a more powerful experience than what they can achieve with other opioids.
We are also narcotics detectives, so our expertise is in drug investigations and enforcing the law. Through our addiction medicine team, we have a program called Backpack Medicine. This involves medical and behavioral health doctors that fan out into the community – largely homeless encampments – to treat people abusing drugs and direct them to services. The best thing the community can do is be aware and educated on the issues that law enforcement faces. Often we serve search warrants at residences and are approached afterwards by people who thought things were “suspicious” but never brought it up to law enforcement. The other thing is to make sure you are talking with your children about the dangers of drugs.
What Are The Drug Trends?
2. Availability
Due to its potency, **fentanyl** is often used as a cutting agent in other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine. This means that individuals may unknowingly come into contact with **fentanyl** when purchasing these substances on the street.
In the past five years, deaths from synthetics have surpassed deaths from other opioids, heroin and depressants. Lawmakers are passing laws in an attempt to slow the rise in fentanyl overdoses, but drug advocates warn the opioid is mostly a booster for other illegal drugs. Used syringes can be exchanged for sterile ones at Brandywine Counseling locations throughout the state.
3. Cost
What is fentanyl used for?
What is fentanyl? Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid approved for treating severe pain, typically advanced cancer pain. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is prescribed in the form of transdermal patches or lozenges and can be diverted for misuse and abuse in the United States.
In some cases, **fentanyl** may be cheaper and more readily available than other drugs. This can make it an attractive option for individuals who are looking for a more affordable way to get high.
The Dangers of Fentanyl Use
While **fentanyl** may offer a powerful high, it also comes with serious risks. The potency of **fentanyl** makes it easy to overdose on, even in small amounts. Additionally, because **fentanyl** is often mixed with other substances, users may not know exactly what they are ingesting, leading to potentially deadly consequences.
Fentanyl is a very significant challenge in Canada as well, and it is a very significant and spreading challenge in Mexico. Currently, VCBH has a contract with a residential and withdrawal management (detox) treatment provider located in Ventura County. Prototypes is a perinatal residential and withdrawal management treatment provider offering services to women and children. Currently, males that are assessed to need residential or withdrawal management levels of care, receive services at Tarzana Treatment Center in Los Angeles county.
Is Percocet the same as oxycodone?
Percocet and oxycodone are both opioid drugs that can relieve pain. Oxycodone is a generic ingredient in many branded drugs. Percocet is the brand name of a medication that contains oxycodone and acetaminophen.
**Fentanyl** overdoses can result in slowed or stopped breathing, loss of consciousness, and even death. The rise in **fentanyl**-related deaths in recent years has prompted public health officials to issue warnings about the dangers of the drug.
Seeking Help
- And that has dramatic repercussion for the ability to stem the flow of fentanyl to the United States.
- Choose recovery and take control of your life, it’s the path to a brighter future filled with health, happiness, and fulfillment.
- They are available in different forms, including pills, powder and liquid.
- There are so many stereotypes that deeply impact the way our society thinks about drug use and people who use stigmatized drugs, in particular those from marginalized communities.
- In many states, medical examiners are often too overwhelmed by the numbers to do the testing to determine which analog was involved.
- “Unfortunately, on 11 February, 2022, he took what he thought was a percocet [an opioid pain relief]. It was laced with fentanyl and it forever changed our lives.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with **fentanyl** use, it is important to seek help immediately. Treatment options are available to help individuals overcome **fentanyl** addiction and regain control of their lives.
Remember, **fentanyl** is a powerful and dangerous drug that can have devastating consequences. Understanding the reasons why people may choose to buy **fentanyl** can help us address the root causes of drug addiction and work towards creating a safer and healthier society for all.
Why are opioids addictive?
Opioids are prescribed therapeutically to relieve pain, but when opioids activate these reward processes in the absence of significant pain, they can motivate repeated use of the drug simply for pleasure. One of the brain circuits that is activated by opioids is the mesolimbic (midbrain) reward system.
