The most dangerous and potent type of opioid is fentanyl. It is a type of pain reliever that is actually 50 more stronger than heroin and 100 times more intense than morphine. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in accidental overdose rates and death. It is a prescription drug that is known by the names Submilmaze, Actiq, and Duregesic. These can come in the form of a patch, shot, or sometimes as a throat lozenge. On the streets, in an illegal manner, it can be sold as a powder or pill in synthetic form. It is sometimes called Goodfellas, Apache, Poison, China Girl, and Great Bear. Users like fentanyl because of the pain relief it provides in addition to feelings of euphoria and relaxation.
Medically, fentanyl is used for pain related reasons. Fentanyl is used for pain management for cancer patients with constant pain, for pain management for those who can tolerate opioids, for people who need 24/7 pain care, and as an anesthesia for heart surgery patients. Most commonly it is provided as a patch that releases fentanyl into the bloodstream for up to 72 hours.
The problem is that fentanyl has now been widely abused. It has been produced more and more illegally so that it can be sold and used via snorting, injection, or by smoking it. It is stronger than heroin, making it a very serious and addictive drug. Sometimes it is even mixed with heroin or cocaine. The risk for overdose is extremely high. People become quickly addicted not just because they’re relieved of pain but also because of the difficulty feeling withdrawl post use.
Withdrawal can have a multitude of symptoms. Some of these include hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, chills, goosebumps, dilated pupils, and feeling pain again. Tolerance also quickly increases with fentanyl use, making overdosing a constant risk. Signs of an overdose could be slow heartbeat, clammy/cold skin, trouble walking/talking, feeling faint/confused/dizzy, and unresponsiveness. An overdose is a medical emergency because the person can experience hypoxia. This means their brain is not getting enough oxygen. Naloxone is used to treat an overdose.
Treatment for addiction to fentanyl is comparable to that used for other opioids. It can range from and include some or all of the following: cognitive behavioral therapy, medication management such as methadone, inpatient care, group therapy, and other motivating tools to continue the deterrence and abstinence from using fentanyl. It only takes one time, one overdose gone too far, one highly potent batch, to possibly die from this drug. There are pros and cons to many pharmaceutical drugs, but in any case, abuse and misuse are dangerous and inevitable when there’s an entire dark side of the drug industry.
