About
A synthetic opioid that possesses strong pain relieving properties but has been abused as a recreational drug. It goes by the chemical name N-phenyl-N propenamide. Because it is significantly more potent than morphine, it has been used medically as a painkiller. Its strength is higher than those of other illegal drugs like morphine, and heroin making it one of deadliest in the United States.
Fentanyl was first produced in 1959 by a Belgian doctor named Patrick Jensen. The drug is synthesized from the opium poppy that explains why its side effects are similar to that of other opioids. Its medical use in the United States was approved in 1968. Fentanyl’s main purpose was as a severe pain reliever. It was prescribed to those undergoing cancer, people who experience sudden, breakthrough pain, and those who had just gone through surgery.
It comes in different forms: powder, lozenge, film, sublingual and buccal tablet. On the street, Fentanyl is consumed by smoking, swallowing as tablets, injecting, and inhaling. Its substance street variations are often mixed with other opioids that many users do not recognize. It is in the mixture of these drugs that can lead to overdose.
Fentanyl is associated with different brand names that are common depending on where it is used. These are Sublimaze, Actiq, Durogesic, Duragesic, Fentora, Matrifen, Haldid, Onsolis, Instanyl, Abstral, Lazanda, and Subsys. The substance has since been distributed in the streets since 2007 and is been known as Apace, China Girl, China Town, China White, Dance Fever, Fake Oxy, Goodfellas, Great Bear, Green apples, Greenies, Apples, He-Man, Poison, Shady eighties, Eighties, Tango & Cash.
Anesthesia is the main purpose of fentanyl. Doctors have recognized its effectivity as a pain relief medicine by using very small quantities. It was then prescribed as a painkiller and was eventually able to accumulate a wide therapeutic index. Recent updates show that the drug is only prescribed to patients who experience extreme pain and who have developed a tolerance for narcotic pain medications.
Fentanyl potency makes it attractive for users and street drug dealers because adding drugs like heroin or cocaine enhances its effects. Other reasons for the growing demand of the substance are its inexpensiveness and portability.
Effects
Fentanyl works by altering the brain and nervous system’s response to pain similar to other opium-based drugs . As the drug enters the bloodstream, its components bind with its u-opioid receptors where it results to a sensation of euphoria and analgesia. Fentanyl’s alteration works differently since the speed with which its opioid receptors bind is faster than even that of morphine and heroin; it gives a higher dosage of euphoria.
Physical effects of ingesting fentanyl include back pain, bluish coloration around lips or under the fingernails, changes in heartbeat and vision, chest pain, cold skin, difficulty urinating, drowsiness, dizziness, loss of coordination, dry mouth, fever, gas, heartburn, irregular menstruation, itching and rash, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, sores or irritation near the mouth in the area of medication, rash, seizures, swelling of outer extremities (hands, arms, feet, ankles), and weight loss. Behavioral symptoms are agitation, anxiety, decreased sexual desire, agitation, difficulty falling/staying asleep, extreme confusion, uncontrollable shaking of the body while mental effects are depression, anxiety, hallucinations, unusual dreams, and unusual thinking.
Addiction and Treatment
Fentanyl is a highly addictive and habit-forming substance, particularly after prolonged used. The United States’ National Institute on Drug Abuse has cautioned people against its potency and addictive potential. Because of this, fentanyl is not used to treat those with a history of alcohol and substance abuse and/or depression and mental illnesses. An additional problem occurs when users have developed tolerance to other opioids who have less strong abuse tendencies (like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and heroin); as expected, the drug can also not be used for medical purposes.
Opioid addicts use fentanyl as a transition drug from prescription medications after developing a certain tolerance to it. Before developing a dependence towards it, users unknowingly take pills with fentanyl ingredients that would eventually cause their addiction. Over time, opioids become in demand for several reasons. Two of them are availability and cost. At a cheaper price, users can satisfy their high easily since fentanyl is available at a street price; this is as opposed to purchasing pain medication that can be less affordable in drug stores and pharmaceutical companies. Another reason for preferring this substance, as mentioned, is due to its ability to provide a satisfying potency to users’ addiction.
A small dose of fentanyl (.25 milligram) can be fatal. Without a prescription, it can inflict serious harm and even death due to its rapid effect and potency. The strength of the drug is not to be underestimated; law enforcers who work with it have to wear protective suits to avoid accidental contaminations.
Treatment for fentanyl depends on the amount of dosage taken. When in an overdose, it is treated as an emergency. Emergency responders induce patients with naloxone to reverse the effects of a temporary overdose. Naloxone is a medication that works to block the short-term effects of opioids that relieve the victim of further damage from fentanyl. During rehabilitation family and peers of users can use naloxone in a Narcan nasal spray in case symptoms of overdose persist. Fentanyl symptoms recur after a few minutes so despite having applied naloxone, it is still crucial to bring patients to a hospital.
Withdrawal symptoms of Fentanyl occur in three stages. It is not recommended to cut out the drug from a user’s system all at once for it can cause severe withdrawal symptoms. Mild symptoms are those experienced 12 to 30 hours after fentanyl’s latest dose, one can experience muscle aches, runny nose, sweating and insomnia that can last for 2 to 3 days. The second stage involves the peak stage of withdrawal that happens on the 3rd to the 5th day.
More severe symptoms are experienced physically: muscle and bone pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting while psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and mood changes would be of a similar degree of its physical counterparts. Withdrawal symptoms are expected to decrease by the 5th day. Psychological disorders that can stem out of withdrawal symptoms can cause a relapse.
Addiction to Fentanyl is easily treated through different modalities including medically assisted detox programs. If one is aware of a family member or friend undergoing through substance abuse, professionals are on standby to discuss options and therapy sessions towards sobriety.
