What Is Fentanyl Used For?

distressed woman staring into the distance wondering what is fentanyl used for

Opioid addiction occurs in all areas of the United States and at every financial level. What is fentanyl used for? Illegal manufacturers of this synthetic opioid distribute this drug across the country. Individuals with opioid addiction buy it on the street, increasing the risk of death because of their opioid addiction. Our synthetic drug rehab facility offers treatment for fentanyl addiction, along with aftercare strategies that help individuals avoid relapse.

What Is Fentanyl?

Natural opiate drugs come from the poppy plant. Doctors use these drugs routinely to relieve pain and manage a number of medical conditions. Synthetic opioids produced in laboratories from chemicals mimic the effects of natural opioids. Synthetic drugs produce stronger effects than their natural counterparts. Like other opioid drugs, fentanyl contains addictive components that people abuse to get high. Addiction produces the need to use increasing amounts of the drug to achieve the same amount of high. Large amounts of these drugs can lead to respiratory suppression, unconsciousness and death. Substance abuse treatment stops the addiction and helps the individual learn new ways of coping with negative emotions and situations.

What Is Fentanyl Used For?

When produced legally, fentanyl effectively manages severe pain from cancer and other conditions. Doctors prescribe fentanyl as an injection, patch, or oral lozenge. Illegal producers of fentanyl make it into a powdered form that can be put on blotter paper. Sometimes, they put it into eyedroppers or nasal spray. They also form it into pills. Dealers may mix crushed fentanyl with heroin, methamphetamine and MDMA to increase the “high” they experience. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl side effects increase the risk of overdose. The answer to the question about what is fentanyl used for is to increase the chances of becoming addicted.

Side Effects of Fentanyl

Like other opioid drugs, fentanyl side effects from ingestion produce extreme happiness, sedation, confusion and drowsiness. Excessive amounts cause nausea, constipation, breathing problems and unconsciousness. Because of the pleasurable effects of fentanyl, people often become physically addicted to it. When individuals purchase opioid drugs on the street, they never know what strength of the drug they receive.

Treatment For Fentanyl Addiction

Effective treatment breaks the cycle of addiction so that individuals can regain their ability to conduct their lives normally. The programs used to treat other opioid drugs also help those addicted to fentanyl. First, the patient must detox, which eliminates the drug from the bloodstream. However, opioid addiction causes changes to the brain. These keep the person craving more of these drugs for a long time after detoxification. A variety of treatment methods re-train the brain to resist the effects of addiction. An effective treatment program uses management of existent mental health problems. It uses cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. It also employs 12-step meetings, individual counseling, group counseling, yoga, family therapy and motivational therapy. Aftercare improves the odds for a lasting recovery. It provides tools to manage the stresses of daily life after addiction, with practical techniques to prevent relapse.

Our addiction treatment specialists perform a thorough assessment. This determines mental health or other issues that contribute to substance abuse problems. They then design a treatment plan for your needs, to provide a workable pathway for sustainable recovery. Carefully designed programs help people return to productive careers and positive family lives. You or someone close to you may suffer from addiction to opioid drugs. This exposes them to the risk of fentanyl overdose. If so, call Liberty Bay Recovery, a Portland, Maine, synthetic drug rehab facility, today at (855) 607-8758. You can learn about treatment that brings sanity and safety back to life.

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Liberty Bay Recovery Center is proud to announce that we are now part of Gloucester Massachusetts drug recovery initiative program