Fentanyl Rehab and Treatment

Addiction to fentanyl is characterized by significant time spent using or acquiring this extremely potent opioid painkiller, an inability to control use, a development of tolerance, cravings, and withdrawal. Fentanyl addiction, as compared to other opioids, is particularly dangerous. Because of its potency and the fact that it is often mixed with other opioid drugs, fentanyl use can easily lead to a fatal overdose. Treatment, which is best done in a residential setting for an extended period of time, can help manage fentanyl addiction.

What is Fentanyl Addiction?

Fentanyl is one of the most powerful painkillers that can be prescribed by doctors. It is a synthetic opioid that was first made in the 1950s and now is part of a group of similar medicinal compounds referred to collectively as fentanyls. Brand names for these drugs include Sublimaze, Alfenta, Sufenta, Duragesic, and Actiq. They are prescribed for severe pain and breakthrough pain, most often in cancer patients and in patients living with chronic pain who have become tolerant to other narcotic painkillers.

As an opioid, Fentanyl has a high potential for abuse, is habit-forming, and can easily lead to addiction, even when used as directed by a doctor. Fentanyl addiction occurs when someone cannot control their use of the drug, spends a significant amount of time and money trying to get more of it, suffers from withdrawal and cravings, and develops a tolerance—requiring greater amounts to achieve a “high.” Fentanyl addiction is difficult to overcome but can be managed with long-term treatment.

Fentanyl Addiction Facts and Statistics

Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, is increasingly implicated in overdose deaths in the U.S. Because it is so much stronger than other prescription opioids, it is more likely to cause an overdose. Fentanyl is often found to have been used in combination with other opioids. Statistics that refer to fentanyl typically include both the drug and its analogues. Analogues are chemically similar substances; some are legal prescription drugs and others are illicit.

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and about 50 times more potent than heroin.
As a prescription, fentanyl comes in several forms: sublingual tablet, skin patch, lozenge, and injection.
Fentanyl and its prescription analogues are schedule II controlled substances as listed by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Illicit analogues of fentanyl are listed on schedule I along with heroin.
While the number of deaths caused by opioid prescriptions alone was down in 2016, those involving fentanyl in combination with other opioids were up.
The number of deaths involving fentanyl, whether alone with other drugs, doubled from 2015 to 2016. Over the last three years, the number of fentanyl-related deaths increased 540 percent.
Most fentanyl overdose deaths occur in the eastern part of the U.S. In Maine in 2015, 32 percent of drug-related deaths involved fentanyl; in Philadelphia, 27 percent of overdose deaths included Fentanyl; and in parts of Florida, fentanyl-related deaths increased over 500 percent in three years.

Effective World-Class Rehab and Treatment for Fentanyl Addiction at Alta Mira

The single most important benefit of seeking out treatment for fentanyl addiction is to prevent a fatal overdose. In fact, seeking treatment for abuse of fentanyl, not just addiction, can help prevent accidental deaths because it is so easy to overdose and die when misusing this drug, even the first time.

Residential treatment is the best option for anyone suffering from fentanyl addiction. This extremely dangerous drug addiction needs professional medical attention immediately. Fentanyl addiction treatment facilities are the best way to focus solely on recovery, and also identify and treat any co-occurring mental health disorders.

Fentanyl overdose is the most serious risk of abusing the drug. It is between 50 and 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. Fentanyl can easily cause a fatal overdose in anyone from the first-time user to a person who has been abusing opioids for years. Fentanyl overdoses have been increasing in recent years, even though prescriptions for it have been decreasing. This may be a result of it being added to illicit drugs, like heroin and cocaine, without the user’s knowledge.

Fentanyl addiction treatment is essential for anyone who has been abusing this drug. The benefits of seeking out professional treatment include a greater chance of recovery and long-term sobriety, a reduced risk of experiencing a fatal overdose, getting better support from family, and identifying and managing underlying mental illnesses that may contribute to addictive behaviors. Fentanyl is extremely dangerous, and overdose deaths involving this prescription are on the rise. Treatment saves lives.

Signs and Symptoms of Fentanyl Addiction

Someone may misuse fentanyl for the same reason that other opioids are misused, which is to experience the euphoric side effect that comes along with the pain relief for which the drugs are prescribed. Heroin, an illicit opioid, also has a similar effect. Someone who abuses fentanyl may also misuse heroin and other opioid prescriptions, like oxycodone or hydrocodone. A euphoric mood is one sign of fentanyl abuse. Others include:

Drowsiness and dizziness
Relaxation
Poor coordination
Lack of awareness
Slurred speech
Difficulty focusing or remembering
Slowed breathing
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Changes in vision
Anxiety or depression
Dry mouth and sores or irritation in the mouth if using tablets or lozenges
Swelling in the arms, hands, feet, and ankles.
Insomnia
Unusual thoughts and dreams
Nausea
Constipation

The euphoric and relaxed sensations that fentanyl triggers can lead a person to return to the drug again and again, and eventually develop an addiction. Addiction is characterized by focusing a lot of time and energy on accessing the drug, being unable to control its use, continuing to use the drug even as it causes problems, developing a tolerance, and experiencing craving and withdrawal symptoms when not using the drug.

We're Here to Help. Call Today!

Causes and Risk Factors of Fentanyl Addiction

Underlying causes of any drug addiction are complex and not well understood. They likely involve a combination of environmental factors and genetics. But ultimately the cause of an addiction to fentanyl is repeated misuse of the drug. This leads to the tolerance, cravings, dependence, and withdrawal characteristic of addiction. While anyone may become addicted to fentanyl by misusing it, there are certain risk factors that make it more likely, including:

Family history of substance abuse
A personal history of abuse of other substances
Mental illness, especially severe depression or anxiety
Friends or acquaintances who misuse fentanyl or other drugs
Poverty and unemployment
Trauma and stressful life circumstances

Hope is Just a Phone Call Away

Knowing When It's Time for Fentanyl Rehab

A fentanyl addiction treatment center is the best option for you or your loved one suffering from fentanyl addiction. The environment is designed for recovery ensuring a safe and successful detox and support during the whole recovery process. Clients at a rehab for fentanyl addiction have a comprehensive treatment plan that is unique to their individual needs. Treatment includes education and training for families on how to better support a loved one who will be struggling to avoid relapse once back at home.

Relapse after stopping the use of a drug is not uncommon, but it is dangerous and can lead to binges that may be fatal. Professional treatment involves strategies to prevent relapse, including aftercare planning and programs that help patients transition from intensive treatment to life back at home. Relapse is always possible, with residential treatment and aftercare the risk can be significantly reduced.

Alta Mira can help you find answers by showing you how to ask the right questions. Once you face your fentanyl addiction honestly and with a focus on solutions, a brighter future can become possible.

How to Help a Loved One Get Treatment for Fentanyl Addiction

When you confront your loved one about their cocaine abuse, you should be straightforward and honest about what you’ve seen and what you perceive. Nevertheless, you should stay calm, patient, and supportive, even as you push them to accept the truth and agree to seek help.

Your conversations with your loved one should focus on how their cocaine abuse has damaged their relationships, made it difficult for them to keep up on the job or at school, caused them financial hardship, or contributed to physical ailments that could become life-threatening in the future.

If your loved one remains reluctant to believe what is obvious to you, an intervention might be necessary. At Alta Mira, we can help you find an intervention expert in your area, or answer all your questions about how an intervention works and what treatment will entail. Once treatment begins, you’ll be invited to participate in our multilevel family program, which will make you an active partner in your loved one’s recovery.

Alta Mira has helped a significant number of men and women come out on top in their struggles with cocaine addiction. If your loved one agrees to enter our residential treatment facility, their issues will be dealt with proactively, comprehensively, and empathically. They won’t be judged, but instead praised for their courage in accepting reality and making the decision to change.

How Our Luxury Fentanyl Treatment Center Transforms Lives

During your stay at Alta Mira, you’ll have an individualized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. This will include comprehensive services for any co-occurring conditions that might be complicating or supporting your fentanyl addiction.

Comprehensive Neuropsychological Testing and Assessment
Individualized Treatment Plans
Evidence-Based Treatment Modalities
Holistic and Experiential Therapies
Luxurious Private Location

Reclaim Your Life at Our Private Fentanyl Rehab Today

We believe individuals are best able to focus on their recovery when immersed in a secure, serene, healing setting. That’s why we provide comfortable surroundings while maintaining the most advanced and sophisticated luxury fentanyl addiction treatment program in Northern California. Clients can expect compassionate care from our best-in-class cocaine addiction specialists.

Seeking a helping hand to guide you through these difficult times is not an easy decision. Our caring and experienced team at Alta Mira can help guide you through the next steps toward achieving lasting recovery.

Don’t let fentanyl control your life. To begin your life-changing transformation, contact us today.

Fentanyl Addiction FAQs

What Are the Signs of a Fentanyl Overdose?

Overdose risk is very high when misusing fentanyl. As an opioid it depresses central nervous system activity, which leads to lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. Too much of the drug can cause breathing to stop entirely, leading to death if not medically reversed. Fentanyl alone carries a high risk of overdose, but it is often abused with heroin, other prescription opioids, or cocaine. These combinations amplify the high, but also the risk of overdose. Too often a person misusing any one of these drugs does not realize that other drugs have been mixed in with it. Signs of fentanyl overdose include:

Very slow, shallow breathing
Difficulty getting a breath or a decreased urge to breathe
Difficulty swallowing
Extreme drowsiness or loss of consciousness
Confusion
Dizziness

An overdose of fentanyl or a combination of drugs including fentanyl can quickly become fatal and should always be treated as a medical emergency. With immediate medical attention and the use of naloxone, an opioid antagonist, the overdose can be reversed. Most first responders carry naloxone.

What Are the Symptoms of Fentanyl Withdrawal?

Detox is the first step in getting treatment for fentanyl addiction, but it causes serious withdrawal symptoms. When not done with medical supervision, most people fail at detox and relapse. Even patients who have been prescribed fentanyl and use it as directed may experience withdrawal. The symptoms of fentanyl withdrawal are similar to those of other opioids but may be more intense because of the increased potency. These symptoms include:

Agitation and irritability
Anxiety
Insomnia
Sweating
Yawning
Runny nose
Muscle pain
Abdominal cramps
Dilated pupils
Diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting

Call Us Today!

Alta Mira provides a safe, warm environment and a world-class professional team, so you can live the life you want to live.

Michael

Related Blogs

Kratom Withdrawal

Kratom Addiction

Signs Of Heroin Addiction

Marijuana Addiction

Opiate Addiction

Benzodiazepine Addiction

Stimulant Addiction