Fentanyl: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects & Warnings

There is no way to know how much illicit fentanyl may be contained in a drug you plan to use or how potent it is. However, fentanyl test strips are available at certain health departments or syringe exchange programs, so you can test the drug you plan to use for fentanyl. Ask your healthcare provider where you can get these strips. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs.

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• However, if fentanyl makes you vomit, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy.
• Public health officials have invested in test strips to identify fentanyl, a strategy that follows other harm-reduction strategies, like safe needle exchanges.
• Xylazine, a veterinary sedative known as “tranq,” has entered the American illicit drug supply in recent years.
• Fentanyl addiction is a brain disorder that occurs when a person continues to misuse Fentanyl even though doing so creates negative consequences in many areas of their life.
• Fatal side effects can occur if you use this medicine with alcohol, or with other drugs that cause drowsiness or slow your breathing.
• Similarly, growing up with caretakers with SUDs or who encourage drug use can create an environment where a fentanyl addiction can develop.

Manufacturers use chemicals to make a substance with the same chemical structure as poppies to make fentanyl in a lab. Call an ambulance right away if you suspect you or someone you’re with may have taken an overdose. One line is a positive result and means there is fentanyl in your drug supply. Fentanyl can also be “diverted.” That’s when the drug is prescribed by a doctor but isn’t used as directed or is sold or given to someone else. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with fentanyl and lead to unwanted side effects. Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how this medicine will affect you.

• According to drug laboratory Millennium Health, 21% of patients in Indiana whose urine samples contained fentanyl also tested positive for xylazine in the national study.
• According to the DEA, the presence of xylazine in the Southern United States increased by a staggering 193% between 2020 and 2021 and by 112% in the Western United States during the same period.
• NIDA is a biomedical research organization and does not provide personalized medical advice, treatment, counseling, or legal consultation.
• Drug overdose deaths driven by fentanyl have risen sharply over the past decade, underscoring an ongoing—and worsening—American opioid epidemic leaving a staggering loss of life in its wake.
• This more recent version of fentanyl comes in bright colors.

Finding Good Drug Treatment Centers

American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Individuals who have developed significant physical dependence on fentanyl are likely to experience withdrawal symptoms, which can be incredibly uncomfortable, when they try to go off the drug. The severity of withdrawal symptoms varies depending on the length and intensity of use. Your insurance plan may cover some or all of the cost of addiction treatment. Our online health insurance verification system will estimate your in-network and out-of-network deductibles, coinsurance percentages and out-of-pocket maximums.

Five Codeine Side Effects

These include breathing difficulties, heart problems such as high blood pressure, seizure or fits and even going into a coma. Recent data indicates that over 150 people die from fentanyl-related overdose each day in the US. Fentanyl overdose can occur within minutes and is more likely to be fatal than overdoses from other opioids.

• Hair drug tests are often used in tandem with positive urine or blood tests.
• Discover what makes Steps to Recovery the best rehab, from personalized treatments to robust support systems.
• Fentanyl patches can take up to a day or 2 to start working but they’ll last longer.
• Treatment centers have all the necessary tools to help a patient go through fentanyl withdrawal safely and without complications.
• When you call our team, you will speak to a Recovery Advocate who will answer any questions and perform a pre-assessment to determine your eligibility for treatment.
• This increased dopamine activity links with a reinforcing sense of euphoria.

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Schedule I drugs include those without approved uses and high potential for abuse, such as heroin, while Schedule V drugs include those with low potential for misuse, such as codeine, commonly found in cough syrups. Fentanyl is classified as illicit under Schedule II, along with cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, and Adderall. Influential factors include the THC dose, the person’s body fat, sex, how how long does fentanyl stay in your system hydrated they are, recent exercise and their metabolism rate, according to Medical News Today. The strength and quantity of the THC consumed can be the difference between a positive and negative test, as drug tests are searching for THC, not cannabis. In an article for The Face, journalist Simon Doherty analysed the 120 samples of THC vapes sent to the Wales-based drug testing service Wedinos in 2022.

Last year, the drug was classified as an “emerging drug threat”. In response, the Biden administration has implemented a response plan to fentanyl combined with xylazine, while the bipartisan TRANQ Research Act aims to increase research into xylazine detection and response. Notably, other U.S. regions have taken a different tact in response to the opioid crisis, embracing harm-reduction strategies. And Cincinnati, recently launched anonymous vending machines with Narcan and other harm-reduction products, aiming to reduce barriers to access.