Fetanyl

 Today I need to talk about something that is very important and hits very close to home right now.  A close family friend has passed away two day ago due to a Fentanyl overdose.  She was 25 years old, and now she is gone.  So I thought this blog topic should be What Every Parent Should Know About Fentanyl Abuse.

What is Fentanyl?  It is a narcotic that is used to treat severe pain.  It is a controlled substance and the risk for addiction is high.  It can cause respiratory distress and death when taken in high doses or when combined with other substances, especially alcohol, or other illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Side Effects of Fentanyl Use

The side effects associated with fentanyl can emerge, with greater severity, in individuals who abuse this drug. For this reason, it is helpful to consider some of the most common side effects, which include but are not limited to:

Confusion

Chest pain

Convulsions

Blurred vision

Black stools

Labored breathing

Irregular heartbeat

Fainting

Feeling of a tight chest

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Decrease in urine flow

Cough

Dry mouth

Fever or chills

Loss of appetite

Mood changes

Pounding in ears

Pale skin

Back pain or side pain

Nervousness

Tingling or numbness in the hands, lips, or feet

Ulcers, sores, or white spots in the mouth

Sneezing, sore throat, or sunken eyes

Swelling in the calves, ankles, feet, and hands

Fatigue

One of the most common side effects of fentanyl abuse is the onset of addiction (to be clinically accurate, addiction per the DSM-5, would be called an opioid use disorder). When the body continues to receive fentanyl, it naturally makes adjustments. One adjustment is to build tolerance, which then requires the person to take more fentanyl in order to achieve the desired high.

There is a great danger implicit in tolerance — as the fentanyl intake rises, so too does the risk of harmful side effects. The body wants to promote survival but once drugs are introduced, and drugs are foreign substances to the body, the system gets turned into a potential engine of personal destruction.

More Rare Side Effects

The side effects that are considered rare for individuals who use fentanyl for therapeutic purposes under the control of a doctor may be brought out by abuse of fentanyl. Some of the less common side effects include but are not limited to:

Problems walking and balancing

Clumsiness

Stomach or abdominal

Headache

Muscle jerking or twitching

Less responsiveness to stimuli

Hallucinations (visual, audio, and tactile)

Severe constipation

Extreme sleepiness

Abnormal thoughts

Slowed or fast paced heartbeat

Trembling

Seizures

Signs of Fentanyl Overdose

When a person uses fentanyl as part of a medically supervised pain management plan, there is little risk of overdose. However, fentanyl abuse exposes a person to an ongoing risk of overdose. The most common signs of fentanyl overdose are slow breathing or acutely shallow breathing. If the following symptoms arise and persist, it may be necessary to seek medical attention:

Shallow or slowed breathing

Depression; feeling empty or discouraged

Loss of strength

Muscle stiffness

Lack of interest in activities

Back pain

Diarrhea

Signs of Fentanyl Withdrawal

When a person stops using fentanyl or considerably reduces the familiar dose, withdrawal symptoms emerge. The following are some of the most common fentanyl withdrawal symptoms may include:

Restlessness

Yawning

Chills

Irritability or anxiety

Runny nose or watery eyes

Sweating or chills

Muscle pain

Overall weakness

Stomach cramps

Widened pupils

Joint pain

Backache

Fast breathing

High blood pressure

Increased heart rate

Nausea

Vomiting

There is a general advisement in the addiction treatment community that an individual should not attempt to stop using narcotics suddenly. The opioid withdrawal process can be particularly uncomfortable, and suddenly stopping the use of narcotics can trigger severe withdrawal symptoms to emerge. Rehab programs that offer medication-assisted therapy will provide eligible clients with substitution therapy in the form of drugs like methadone or Suboxone (buprenorphine).

It is called substitution therapy because the person is safely transitioned to the treatment medication without fully detoxing from narcotics. Some individuals will remain on an opioid substitution therapy for months or even years. Other individuals will eventually reach full detoxification (i.e., no opioids or opiates in the body).

Help is available 

SAMHSA National Helpline

Confidential free help, from public health agencies, to find substance use treatment and information. Learn more

1-800-662-4357