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What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100x more potent than morphine and a critical component in the opioid epidemic. It takes small doses, even just a few grains, to overdose from fentanyl use.
Like morphine, fentanyl is a powerful drug that has a legitimate use in medicine. It is less expensive to manufacture than other drugs popular on the street, including heroin and morphine. This makes it easy to fabricate and smuggle into the U.S. Dealers cut other drugs with fentanyl, leading to an increase in opioid related deaths.
The Dangers and Health Risks of Fentanyl Abuse
Fentanyl is tasteless and odorless. Drug dealers use it to cut other, more expensive street drugs, including other opioids such as heroin. The synthetic opioid fentanyl can be made illegally, pressed into counterfeit pills, and then sold as prescription opioids such as oxycodone.
Those who abuse fentanyl tend to take a much higher dose than a doctor would prescribe, so it produces more harmful effects. Physical dependence and substance use disorders develop faster. The more dependent you are on the synthetic opioid, the higher your risk of an opioid crisis or taking potentially deadly doses of the drug.
How Common Is Fentanyl Overdose?
Behavioral health statistics from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) show that 70% of all drug overdose deaths are due to fentanyl as opposed to other opioids. When testing the fake pills coming into the country illegally, the DEA found 42% of them had a lethal dose of fentanyl in them.
Fentanyl Overdose Symptoms
Recognizing the symptoms of an overdose can save a life. They include:
- Respiratory depression – You may notice the breathing slowing down or even stopping.
- Loss of consciousness – The depressed respiratory efforts will eventually cause unconsciousness. You will be unable to wake someone overdosing or get them to speak.
- Blue tinge to skin or lips – This is due to the lack of oxygen in the blood.
- Clammy skin that is cold – The shock of the overdose can cause the skin to become cold and clammy.
As soon as you recognize the signs of a fentanyl overdose, you should call emergency services and administer Naloxone or Narcan if available.
Whether you’re searching for details about treatment or simply need someone to listen, our caring team is ready to guide and support you throughout recovery.
Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms
People who abuse this powerful synthetic opioid will experience significant withdrawal symptoms when they quit taking it. That is one reason a fentanyl addiction treatment that includes detox makes sense in most cases.
Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms can include:
- Muscle pain
- Bone aches
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Cold flashes
- Uncontrollable leg movements
While not dangerous, opioid withdrawal can be uncomfortable. It’s made easier with medically supervised detox before entering an addiction treatment program.
Addiction Treatment Programs
The rehabilitation phase of fentanyl addiction treatment can take several forms. At Reprieve Recovery, we offer various levels of care, including residential and outpatient services, such as partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient therapy, and ongoing aftercare support.
Residential Treatment
Jersey fentanyl addiction treatment at Reprieve Recovery involves a live-in program with a structured environment and 24/7 support from medical professionals. Inpatient treatment works best for those who need extra care and support for their fentanyl addiction.
Our residential care program is effective for individuals who have co-occurring mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. These underlying mental health conditions can be part of the fentanyl abuse story. Some will try to mask the underlying causes of their pain with fentanyl use.
Residential treatment is the answer for people who have undergone fentanyl addiction therapy in the past and relapsed or who have experienced one or more opioid overdoses. It might be a consideration for someone with an unstable home environment or who has high-risk triggers that make it hard to overcome addiction.
Partial Hospitalization
Partial hospitalization offers the structure of an inpatient treatment plan while providing the flexibility of outpatient care for fentanyl addiction. It can also be a helpful tool for transitioning between the two, allowing you to continue with addiction medicine while outside the live-in fentanyl addiction treatment program.
With partial hospitalization, you spend a set amount of time in a structured environment, typically during the day, allowing you to participate in critical therapies, such as individual and group sessions. Then, you return home to family, friends, or a sober-living community in the evening.
This approach is practical for individuals who do not require 24/7 supervision in residential care but still need some monitoring and intensive treatment services. It bridges that gap effectively.
Intensive Outpatient
An intensive outpatient program offers the same therapeutic benefits as residential treatment, but with greater flexibility and convenience. It allows you to undergo therapy for the addiction and still maintain a job or go to school if possible.
Intensive outpatient treatment is an effective option for people struggling with addiction to fentanyl but who have a stable home environment. Instead of living in, you stay at home and travel to the treatment facility for therapy on a schedule.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Dual diagnosis treatment is for someone with a substance use disorder, like fentanyl addiction, and a mental health condition, such as anxiety or borderline personality disorder. It is an integrated care option that recognizes the connection between drug abuse and co-occurring conditions.
Recovery is a challenge when you have both a mental health condition and an addiction, because one can trigger the other. You might start using fentanyl again during a manic session if you have bipolar disorder, for example. Dual diagnosis treatment helps to relieve the symptoms of a mental health condition and allows you to develop skills that help maintain your sobriety and prevent relapse.
Our Addiction Aftercare Program
Because the recovery journey is lifelong, aftercare is an integral part of long-term treatment. It includes community backing that helps keep you on track, as well as continued support. Aftercare can also be a critical part of medication management.
We accept most insurance plans
We accept a wide range of insurance plans, making it easier for more people to get the quality care they need without worrying about the cost.
Safe and Effective Fentanyl Addiction Treatment New Jersey
If you or someone you love is impacted by fentanyl use, let us help. Contact us today to find out more about our treatment for fentanyl addiction program in New Jersey. We offer a comprehensive approach to fentanyl addiction therapy to treat the whole person, not just the addiction.
