Fentanyl Addiction Treatment

Hospitals are concerned about creating addictions to opioids even if their patients feel like they are not at risk of ever needing Fentanyl Addiction Treatment. You contemplate your story as you are lying in a bed, miserable from withdrawal symptoms while you detox. Perhaps you had gone into surgery and was given fentanyl in an IV drip for your post-surgical pain. A few days go by in a haze and you are put on a pill that is not as effective. After a few different medications, they try a fentanyl patch and you feel immediate relief.

Your thought is that if it takes away this overwhelming pain, then you are all for the risk. You are released from the hospital in about eight days, which is a record for your kind of surgery. Everyone is so excited, but you are functioning on high levels of pain. How long are you expected to live like this? Your partner realizes your pain and asks the person he gets his pot from if they have a source. You end up with any kind of pain killer that he can find. You try all of them until you ask for fentanyl directly, finally finding the mental relief you need. You do not remember these hallucinations, but you are totally happy with it. You do not even think about the danger in which you have put yourself with all the opioids laced with fentanyl that are out there, causing you to unsuspectingly overdose. With 59% of opioid-related deaths involving fentanyl, it is not a drug you really should be messing with.

Why is fentanyl so lethal?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used to control pain. It is commonly administered in a hospital right after surgery and prescribed to individuals who have built a physical tolerance to other opioids. It is offered in the form of a patch, shot, or lozenges. It is legally designated as a substance high in potential for abuse and addiction and is a highly effective pain killer for anyone either in constant pain or in an acute situation. It is often given to those who have had unpleasant reactions to other opioids or have built a tolerance to them. It dramatically increases dopamine production, blocking pain receptors and causing an intense high. Fentanyl changes the chemistry of the brain and can lead to addiction very quickly. It not only produces a mental calm to which many users look forward, but it also slows breathing and relaxes muscles. Abuse of fentanyl easily occurs because of its strength.

The minute difference between an effective dose and a deadly one is why it is so dangerous. It boasts a potency of 100 times more than morphine and 50 times more than heroin. It was initially created to alleviate pain in cancer patients; however, its strength makes it an extremely sought-after illicit substance. A dramatic increase in the amount of opioid deaths has invaded the streets of America because of the presence of fentanyl. Dealers mix fentanyl into other opioids, such as heroin. With the strength being dramatically higher than what people think they are using; it is too late when they realize what they shot into their veins. 70% of overdoses are attributed to opioid use.

What are the signs that I might need Fentanyl Addiction Treatment?

Many people who take prescribed opioids do not ever think that they are risk of acquiring an addiction to fentanyl, or any other drug.  Many do not realize that any misuse of fentanyl leads to a high potential for abuse no matter how they started taking it. With the tranquillizing impact on the central nervous system, fentanyl can change the user’s normal behavior — including, but not limited to:

• Trying but not being able to stop using fentanyl
• Focusing on acquiring, using, and recovering from fentanyl
• Intense cravings
• Damage to relationships, jobs, and health yet they continue to use
• They built a tolerance, increasing their dose because they need it for the same feeling
• They neglect their friends, family, and cancel social occasions
• Withdrawal symptoms occur when the last dose wears off
• Suspicious and unexplained disappearances
• Being secretive
• Weight changes and a deterioration of physical appearance

How is fentanyl involved in the opioid crisis?

The use of opium from the poppy plant for medicinal purposes goes back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. In the 1990s, drug companies assured doctors that opioids were not as addictive as once thought, so they began prescribing them to treat mild to severe pains of every kind The result was an increase in prescriptions —  73% for morphine, 96% for hydromorphone, 226% for fentanyl, and 402% increase in oxycodone prescriptions. As of 2020, 70 million patients were prescribed opioids. When the doctors stopped refilling opioid prescriptions after a reasonable recovery time after surgery or an injury, the patient who became addicted turned to the streets to find a source.

The increase in opioid prescriptions in the 1990s resulted in a string of overdoses. In 2014, there was another upward trend with the addition of illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. Heroin, cocaine, and other illicit drugs were being laced with fentanyl and sold to unsuspecting buyers. This creates a lethal product for those who inadvertently proceed to take their usual dose.

What kinds of treatments should I expect at Fentanyl Addiction Treatment?

It is difficult for addicts to recognize their own dependence on a substance. Only 40% of patients in a facility willingly sought out treatment. That means that the other 60% have been admitted due to either having recently overdosed, admitted by the court, or have been found suffering from the effects of a dangerous withdrawal. Most addicts try first to quit on their own and only seek professional help when they are unsuccessful.  

Inpatient opioid addiction treatment programs that are highly experienced in fentanyl recovery result in the best success rates with the least number of relapses. They offer the highest level of care with support night and day. The length of treatment depends on the following elements:

• Is there a need for dual diagnosis treatment? A mental health issue is present in 25% of people having a substance use disorder (SUD).
• Have they been in rehab before or is this their first time?
• What is their duration and frequency of use?

An effective fentanyl addiction treatment program will offer a combination of therapies for the best success rates. Using one therapy alone has not shown itself to be particularly effective. Every facility varies, but are structured similarly:

• Evaluation and a treatment plan designed for their particular circumstances.
• Detox to eliminate the drug from the system.
• Group and individual counseling sessions in short-term and long-term, inpatient and outpatient programs include:
  • • CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) - Patients are taught the elements that help them transition from unhealthy to proactive thoughts. They learn coping mechanisms to help them cope with life stressors that arise. They are highly effective for treating dual diagnoses.
    • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) – A form of CBT where the patient is taught what triggers them. They learn how to convert their damaging behaviors into healthy ones.
    • MAT (Medication-Assisted Treatment) – The use of drugs specifically designed to reduce intense cravings and the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms.
    • MM (Matrix Model) - A positive, non-confrontational, and encouraging relationship between therapist and patient that helps improve self-esteem and self-worth.
    • REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) - Learning to manage common self-defeating emotions, while changing how reactions to problems.
    • MI (Motivational Interviewing) – Effective on patients who was against being admitted to rehab. This technique helps motivate them to embrace the treatment, with the majority forming their own goals for a successful journey.
    • CM (Contingency Management) – Using incentives to help patients maintain sobriety and help patients remain in fentanyl treatment.
    • Alternative therapies — Such as art, music, equine, pet-friendly, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and others that see the person as a whole. They are reminded that they used to find joy in life before becoming addicted to drugs.
• Medication management for everything from continued recovery medications to other pre-existing chronic health issues.
• Helping create a aftercare plan for continued support, which includes 12-step programs, additional counseling, and/or sober living homes and halfway houses.

What medications are effective against Fentanyl addiction?

Prescription drugs can be used during detox and treatment to reduce the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms and lower the life-threatening aspect, as well as ease the intensity of the fentanyl cravings. Full agonist drugs were created for the purpose of fully binding to opioid receptors so that fentanyl cannot attach if it is consumed. The medications frequently used are:

• Methadone blocks the high and reduces withdrawal symptoms. If a patient continues to need methadone after leaving the facility, methadone clinics supply their dosage and support options. They must visit every day.
• Suboxone (buprenorphine) is the only medication that can be prescribed outside of an addiction treatment center. Research has shown that it eases physical dependency, withdrawal symptoms, and intense cravings. Suboxone clinics supply the dosage and support services.
• Vivitrol (naltrexone) is a form of suboxone offered as a monthly injection. It controls cravings and blocks the high of many drugs. It is not addictive and will not cause withdrawal and is used on individuals who are more stable in their sobriety.
• Naloxone reverses the toxic effects of opioids by knocking them out of the opioid receptor, lessening the occurrence of overdoses.

No one ever thinks that they will become a statistic in the war against drugs. A negative statistic that is used to show how addictive fentanyl and other opioids can be. They thought that living in temporary pain after surgery was difficult. That was long ago before they met fentanyl. What they have let fentanyl do to their life is almost incomprehensible to them, since they were always in control of their surroundings. When they realized that their total loss of control had cost them almost everything, from relationship to job, they decided that Fentanyl Addiction Treatment was the smartest resolution. It is never too late to take back the reins and reestablish the happy life that you thought you would never see again.