Chat with us, powered by LiveChat

Signs and Symptoms of Fentanyl Addiction

According to CDC Wonder, 56,516 deaths were reported in 2020 alone due to overdose from synthetic drugs including Fentanyl. The number of people abusing this drug seems to be a lot higher than people think it is and it is very dangerous. This article tells you a complete story about Fentanyl, its overdose symptoms & side effects.

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl was originally developed as a pain medication that is to be given to patients once they are out of surgery. It is a narcotic pain med that carries a significant risk of addiction among users. While it was originally intended to be used as a pain med, it was later used as an ingredient in many other types of medicine. It works rapidly and is very powerful, as much as 50 to 100 times that of Morphine which is an opioid-based pain med. So, it’s important that you understand the concerns of Fentanyl abuse, which actually can go from “worse” to “worst” pretty fast. So, what can you do? How can you help? Well, before you do anything, you will need to understand the signs and symptoms to recognize if a person is abusing Fentanyl. Only then you can confirm and confront the user about it and get them the drug addiction treatment that they need. With that said, let’s begin.

Signs and Symptoms of Fentanyl Addiction

If a user is abusing Fentanyl, they will show up with two or more of the following signs and symptoms. It is important that you pay attention and look for these signs and symptoms of fentanyl, and if you can confirm that a user is showing two or more of these signs and symptoms, get them to a rehab center for proper treatment.
  • Significant mood shifts and changes in behavior. They could get irritated for no good reason and would prefer to stay in isolation.
  • They will engage in unnecessary or high-risk activities that may or may not have any significance to their lives.
  • When they are under the influence of drugs, they may jeopardize their relationships with loved ones, friends, and family.
  • Lack of interest in work, college, or social activities.
  • Accidental or self-inflicted injury. A user under the influence of a drug may resort to self-harm which is not uncommon among addicts.
  • Lack of appetite is also very common among addicts. Look for sudden changes in their diet.
  • Psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, paranoia, disorientation, and even episodes of violent outbursts may happen.
  • Users could develop health problems such as high blood pressure, lung damage, seizures, and irregular heartbeat.
  • Withdrawal symptoms and even overdose could happen at any moment.

Side Effects of Use of Fentanyl

Side Effect of Fentanyl Addiction The severity of the side effects of the use of Fentanyl depends on the dosage of the drug. Depending on the exact dosage, a user could be experiencing some or all of the side effects. Here are some of the most common side effects of Fentanyl.
  • Confusion, dizziness, or lightheadedness.
  • Blurred vision, nervousness, or pounding in the ears.
  • Labored or irregular breathing.
  • Dry mouth, cough, or pale skin.
  • Tingling sensation or swelling in arms, legs, or feet.
  • The feeling of tightness in the chest, chest pain, or back pain.
  • Fatigue, sunken eyes, sore throat, ulcers, or white spots inside the mouth.

How Can Detox Centers Help?

The number of issues fentanyl abuse can lead to is not really that surprising. If you have read the symptoms and the side effects of taking this drug, then you already know about its potential short-term and long-term issues. Not to mention that under the influence of this, one could engage in unwanted sexual behavior and increases the risk of sexually transmitted disease or unwanted pregnancies. Even without these issues, fentanyl abuse can harm you in many ways, both physically and mentally. Abuse of fentanyl can even compromise important functions of the immune system and can even lead to some serious organ failure. Drug overdose is another risk that’s involved among drug abusers. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 70,630 people died as a result of a drug overdose in 2019 and now the number is expected to be much higher. The only institutes that are capable of handling such situations are your rehab and detox centers. The Rehab center’s staff are highly educated on the subject matter and well trained to deal with these cases. They have both residential inpatient treatment programs and outpatient treatment programs and depending on the need and the requirement of the user, one of the programs will be prescribed for them. There are various rehab centers in Los Angeles that you can look into. They have specially trained staff, 2/7 surveillance, doctors present on the premises, and also have various other amenities.

Wrapping Up

Before we wrap this up, let’s go through it briefly. Fentanyl is a narcotic pain medication that is often abused. It was originally given to patients after surgeries but even completely healthy people are now taking it. After a while, they build up a tolerance and start abusing it. The abuse leads to various psychological and health issues that can be easily noticeable. But if it goes unnoticed, it could go out of hand and could lead to an overdose. Sometimes, a user tends to self-medicate their addiction or their family may force them to quit, which could be even worse, as it will accelerate the period of drug withdrawal symptoms. Only trained specialists are equipped to deal with drug withdrawal symptoms and they should be taken to a rehab center instead. They also have residential inpatient programs as well where they monitor a user’s health status through 24/7 surveillance to ensure utmost care and treatment while they are in that program. Foward Recovery is committed to providing the best possible care they can and they accept most major insurances to help ease the financial burdens of the patients’ families. They have 2 different rehab centers in LA. Just call (844) 387-6889 to get started.
Share:

Leave a comment