Fentanyl is a type of opioid, a highly powerful and addictive substance that can change the life of a person (and their family) quickly. It is a synthetic opioid, meaning it is man-made rather than a natural form. What makes it more challenging is its unique combination of providing very effective, high-level pain control and extremely addictive qualities. Yet, it is also 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

If you have a severe injury or are just coming out of an intense surgical procedure, your doctor may put you on a short-term dose of fentanyl. Because of how effective it is as a pain control mechanism, it has very specific clinical uses.

However, fentanyl is also highly addictive when used even in small amounts over a period of time. Typically, medical providers will use prescriptions for these drugs short term to avoid addiction. However, taking too much or using it for too long can be tragic. Data from the NIDA notes that 73,838 overdose deaths could be attributed to the use of synthetic opioids, including illicitly manufactured fentanyl, in just 2022 alone.

Anyone Can Become a Victim of Fentanyl Misuse

It is quite common for stigma to play a role in substance use disorder (SUD), especially involving pain medications. Consider a few examples of how misuse of this particular drug can occur. Addiction to fentanyl is non-discriminatory in how it attacks:

• A person suffers a car accident caused by another party. They need extensive surgery and a long recovery period. Nothing limits the pain like fentanyl, and because they are on it for a long time, a dependency forms.
• A veteran suffers an injury while serving the country. They develop chronic pain from it. Fentanyl becomes the only medication to take the edge off, it seems, especially as their body adapts to other pain medications over the years.
• To find relief from mental and physical pain, a person turns to illicit drugs, purchasing them from someone they know. What they did not know was that the drugs they received were laced with fentanyl. Now, they have a dependency on that drug.

People from all walks of life, all ethnic backgrounds, and any type of upbringing may find themselves struggling to take pain medications to get through the day. What makes fentanyl even more difficult is that it’s hard to know where the pain line ends and the dependency begins. If the thought of not having access to your pain medications scares you because of the intense pain that’s likely to happen if you do not take them, it’s time to seek help.

The Risks of Illicitly Produced Fentanyl

Dealers mix fentanyl into a variety of drugs. It can be found in cocaine, methamphetamines, and heroin. Only a very small amount of the substance is necessary to build a dependency with consistency, making it easy to mask the presence of the drug in other substances.

Fentanyl manufacturing that happens in illicit ways is a complicated process filled with mistakes. For example, it takes just 2 milligrams of fentanyl to be lethal to some people based on their past usage, tolerance, and body size. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) states that it has found fentanyl being produced with 0.02 up to 5.1 milligrams of fentanyl in each tablet. That’s more than twice the lethal dose. The DEA reports that these synthetic pills are one of the primary causes of overdose deaths in the US.

Signs You May Have a Fentanyl Addiction

If you suspect you or your family member may have an opioid addiction, contact Victory Addiction Recovery Centers today to learn more about how we can help you. The following are some symptoms of opioid addiction you should not ignore:

• You think about your next dose well before you should be taking it.
• You are using illicit forms of drugs, and you crave continued access.
• You have flu-like symptoms, intense pain, and anxiety when you stop taking the drugs for any length of time.
• There is a constant need to take more of the drug. It may not be enough to reduce your pain any longer.
• You’ve used the substance for a long time. Nothing else seems to work.

Getting Help for Fentanyl Addiction

You are never alone in your battle to recover from addiction. Even if you’re not sure how you will manage pain without fentanyl or if you have an addiction, Victory Addiction Recovery Center in Lafayette, LA can help. Let our team offer solutions that can improve your quality of life and help you overcome your pain fully. Reach out to us now for a no-obligation discussion.