Fentanyl is a potent https://ecosoberhouse.com/ opioid that offers pain relief to those who live with severe acute or chronic pain conditions. A healthcare professional may prescribe it to treat severe pain. Fentanyl overdoses can be reversed with the same antidote that is used to treat other opioid overdoses — a drug called naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan. In the brain stem, regions called the medulla and the pons control the depth and rate of breathing.

Symptoms of Fentanyl Overdose

Carrying naloxone can provide them with an extra layer of protection from overdose. In this article, we will discuss the how long does iv fentanyl stay in your system medical uses of fentanyl and its side effects. We will also cover misuse of fentanyl, addiction, and the risk of overdose.

General Health

It’s well-suited for use in people who have around-the-clock pain and need stronger opioid medications than morphine. It can also be used in patients with severe pain or cancer pain who are resistant to other opioids. The rate of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2021 was nearly 22 times the rate in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). « In health care, we dose fentanyl in micrograms, » explains Amanda N. Donald, MD, an addiction medicine physician at Northwestern Medicine. It’s one of the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. You can become dependent on fentanyl even if you’re taking it as directed by a doctor.

The Opioid Epidemic

A small dose of fentanyl can be fatal depending on how tolerant someone is and their body size. Coroners’ offices and state crime laboratories do not test for fentanyl unless given a specific reason to do so. A person with a substance use disorder might obtain fentanyl by misusing prescribed medication or acquiring the drug from an illegal laboratory. Misuse of fentanyl includes taking it orally, smoking it, snorting it, or injecting it.

• Manufacturers use chemicals to make a substance with the same chemical structure as poppies to make fentanyl in a lab.
• Raising awareness about the risks of fentanyl is not enough to combat the opioid epidemic.
• Some cells can enter a ‘third state that lies beyond the traditional boundaries of life and death.’ Here’s how.
• If you’re with someone who you believe is overdosing, it’s important to act quickly.
• A healthcare professional may prescribe medications such as buprenorphine and methadone, which affect the same receptors in the brain as those affected by fentanyl.

Fentanyl addiction transcends where you live, Cox said. If you live in a small town or next to a wealthy neighbor, it does not matter. And when people become addicted to the drug, they cannot stop it without experiencing several withdrawal symptoms. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions. According to the DEA, 42% of pills they tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, a potentially lethal dose.