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Fentanyl overdoses are now a catastrophe in America. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is prescribed for chronic pain. It is 80-100 times stronger than another commonly prescribed opioid, morphine.
Perhaps you have heard about fentanyl on the news, that it is a leading cause of overdoses across the United States?
Fentanyl is mixed with other drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA.
Fentanyl is also being used to make counterfeit prescription pain pills, which is another concern. Instead of taking a Xanax or Adderall, people are taking fentanyl.
Because fentanyl is added to so many drugs, most consumers are unaware they are taking it. It only takes a tiny amount of fentanyl to be a fatal dose. It is a crisis now in America.
Fentanyl is now the number one cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45, according to data from last year.
So, you may be wondering how to identify the deadly substance. So let's examine how to determine if something is fentanyl.
Pharmaceutical-made fentanyl is a white powder substance. Illicitly made fentanyl can be grey, tan, or off-white.
Usually, however, the drug is not commonly found in its pure form but hidden in other drugs, most commonly heroin. It is cheaper to mix with heroin and easy to get away with because they have similar effects.
Fentanyl is more potent than most heroin alone, which has led to a large increase in overdoses as individuals take what they think is a normal amount, but it ends up being significantly more potent since it’s mixed with fentanyl.
If fentanyl is mixed in with other drugs, it may produce a brown spot in the substance.
It is also pressed into pill form and sold as fake prescription pills, often including fatal amounts.
The fentanyl fake pills are being pressed to look identical to other opiates and benzodiazepines. Check the number or the color to see if it seems abnormal. However, some fakes look similar to the real thing.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), More than 9.5 million counterfeit pills were seized in September 2021, more than in the last two years combined.
Some people who are overdosing on fentanyl are unknowingly ingesting the substance.
Reverse Overdose Oregon partnered with the Oregon Health Authority to offer naloxone training for businesses. The program is designed to have Naloxone available to the company. Every employee is trained on administering the potentially life-saving drug in the event of an overdose.
With the accidental overdoses that are becoming more prevalent, this is a way to get Naloxone into the community just in case.
After examining the drug and, if you still don't know if fentanyl is in it, there is another option.
There are fentanyl test strips available to test the product to see if there is fentanyl in it. These are strips of paper that can detect fentanyl in a substance anyone can purchase. However, these test strips are not entirely accurate and a common complaint among users is that fentanyl is being laced into almost every drug at this point, so it doesn’t necessarily help them to know it’s present.
If you decide to go ahead and use the substance without knowing if fentanyl is in it, it is wise to start slowly and safest not to use at all.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl comes in various forms that can be dangerous if misused.
Fentanyl may be prescribed as a:
Illicit fentanyl is manufactured in labs.
This form of synthetic fentanyl is found as a powder, put into eye droppers or nasal sprays, and pressed into fake prescription pills. Legal fentanyl precursors are made in China, then shipped to Mexico where drug cartels process the chemicals into fentanyl, mix into other drugs, and move to the US market for sale.
Fentanyl is also mixed into other drugs such as heroin, MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamines.
There are also fentanyl analogs, which have a similar chemical structure to fentanyl, but the potency can vary.
One analog, called Carfentanil, is especially dangerous. According to the DEA, Carfentanil is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more powerful than fentanyl.
Fentanyl test strips may not be able to detect Carfentanil or other analogs.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl comes in various forms and brand names.
Some brands of fentanyl include:
Duragesic: This transdermal patch slowly releases the medicine into the bloodstream through the skin's surface for an around-the-clock opioid analgesic.
Actiq Lollipop: Medicine is released into the mouth while sucking on it for 15 minutes. It is only prescribed for cancer-related pain.
Sublimaze: Fentanyl citrate in an injection used before, during, and after surgical procedures. It is typically used with general or regional anesthesia for some surgeries or open-heart surgery.
Onsolis: Film that dissolves inside the mouth or in the cheek.
Fentora: Buccal tablet dissolved inside the cheek or under the tongue.
Abstral: Sublingual tablets that dissolve under the tongue to provide pain relief.
Subsys: Sublingual spray is an oral spray sprayed under the tongue to provide fast-acting pain relief for breakthrough pain.
Lazanda: Nasal spray intranasal transmucosal administration of fentanyl citrate.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed to people who need intense pain relief when other opiates are no longer working for their pain.
Fentanyl goes by numerous different names on the street.
Some of the street names for fentanyl are:
There are probably many more different names people call fentanyl, but these are a few standard terms.
The best way to avoid fentanyl is not to use any illegal drugs. There may be some suggested ways to tell if fentanyl is in the product but are they accurate enough to gamble your life on?
If you do choose to use, a reasonable way to avoid fentanyl is to find a harm reduction center where fentanyl test strip kits are available.
FentCheck is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing fentanyl test strips to the local community in an effort to save lives. Organizations and companies that join this effort will have testing kits free to the public at their businesses.
Harm reduction centers also offer other life-saving resources for people who use drugs. Save Lives Oregon is another organization dedicated to harm reduction in the state. They offer Naloxone and other resources and education to support the community.
For instance, harm reduction programs are proven to reduce HIV and Hep C infection rates by 50%, according to Save Lives Oregon.
In April 2021, the CDC and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced that federal funding could be used to purchase fentanyl test strips to help lower overdose-related deaths.
Hopefully, more organizations will offer fentanyl testing strips in the near future now that there is money available to pay for them.
In the event it becomes too dangerous, perhaps fentanyl treatment is an option for you.
There are different treatment options to help you regain control of your life. Of course, everyone is unique, but there are treatment possibilities to fit each lifestyle, depending on your individual needs.
Some people in the state may not have sufficient access to treatment for substance use disorders.
For example, only 8.7 percent of Oregonians who died from an unintentional drug overdose in 2020 were receiving current treatment for substance use or mental health disorders.
If you have taken fentanyl for some time and you start to feel like you have to have it to function daily, you have developed what is known as physical dependence on the drug. If you stop using it or go too long without it, you may have some withdrawal symptoms.
Some withdrawal symptoms may include:
Fentanyl withdrawal treatment is available here at Serenity Lane, and we want to see you succeed!
We provide a comfortable medical detox at our inpatient facility in Coburg, Oregon. We will supervise the process, ensuring that you detox off the fentanyl in a safe and comfortable setting.
After the detox process, we offer Medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which uses FDA-approved medications to relieve cravings and withdrawal from fentanyl.
Here at Serenity Lane, our MAT program is designed to enhance your outlook on long-term recovery. We are committed to your safety and well-being.
Combined with our clinical and compassionate therapy at our residential treatment program, these medications will give you the tools you need for lifelong and successful recovery.
You must understand that you are not fighting this battle by yourself.
Serenity Lane is here to assist you in your recovery process. We offer individualized treatment plans to help you or a loved one today.
So give Serenity Lane a call at (800) 543-9905 to start your journey to recovery. Our goal is to give you back your life.
Suppose you are concerned about whether your loved one may be using fentanyl. In that case, it is essential to learn the signs of opioid use disorder.
Some of the signs of opioid use disorder are:
If any of these symptoms sound familiar, it could be time to let your loved one know that you are supportive of them and encourage seeking treatment.
Some examples of the type of pharmaceutical fentanyl that a doctor would prescribe for chronic pain include:
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