Author: James Anderson

Fentanyl DrugFacts National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA

We’re also seeing fentanyl mixed with counterfeit benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax. This is a combination that’s incredibly dangerous because both of these medications have sedative effects and act in some ways synergistically, so the risk of overdose escalates very quickly. The extreme potency of fentanyl is what makes it so popular in the illicit drug market. Simply put, adding fentanyl to drugs makes them more powerful, more addictive, and more dangerous. So we’re seeing fentanyl being mixed with many other types of drugs, and in most cases, people don’t even know that the drug they’re taking contains fentanyl. An addiction psychiatrist explains what you need to know about the synthetic opioid that’s been linked to the vast majority of overdoses.

Common fentanyl side effects

Like other narcotic medicines, fentanyl can slow your breathing. A person caring for you should seek emergency medical attention if you have slow breathing with long pauses, blue-colored lips, or if you are hard to wake up. An overdose occurs when a drug produces serious adverse effects and life-threatening symptoms.

What happens if I miss a dose?

There is no set amount that is considered lethal because how the drug affects you depends on several factors such as your body size and tolerance. As little as 2 milligrams or less may cause death, which is about the size of a few grains of salt. Fentanyl typically relaxes you and puts you in a euphoric state. You may also feel dizzy, drowsy, have vision changes, or have unpleasant side effects such as dry mouth, stomach pain, or anxiety. It’s hard to predict the amount of fentanyl that could kill someone.

How does fentanyl affect the brain?

1. Fentanyl patches pose a danger to kids who can stick them on their skin or mouths.
2. Once you’ve been taking fentanyl for a while, your body gets used to it and stopping can be very hard.
3. Fentanyl patches are applied to the skin to treat moderate to severe chronic pain around the clock.
4. After a fentanyl treatment, you may have side effects that hinder your thinking and reactions or cause dizziness or drowsiness.
5. To learn more about the mixture of fentanyl into other drugs, visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Facts on fentanyl.

People who are given naloxone should be monitored for another two hours after the last dose of naloxone is given to make sure breathing does not slow or stop. Naloxone is available as an injectable (needle) solution and nasal sprays (NARCAN® and KLOXXADO®). Fentanyl patches are not for treating mild or occasional pain or pain from surgery.

It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been mixed with fentanyl unless you test your drugs with fentanyl test strips. Some states have passed laws that allow pharmacists to dispense naloxone without a personal prescription. Friends, family, and others in the community can use the nasal spray versions of naloxone to save someone who is overdosing. You should not use fentanyl unless you are already being treated with a similar opioid pain medicine and your body is tolerant to it. Talk with your doctor if you are not sure you are opioid-tolerant.

To prevent accidental fentanyl overdoses, you can use fentanyl test strips to ensure other drugs don’t contain the opioid. You can get them free through some outreach programs, such as needle exchanges or overdose prevention programs. Although fentanyl patches are a legal form of the drug doctors sometimes prescribe for pain, they are easily abused.

Fentanyl and overdose

But these tips can reduce some of that risk and lower your chances of overdose, infection, or other problem. After you’ve taken an opioid like fentanyl for a long time, your brain gets used to the drug. This means your tolerance goes up and it takes more of it to get the same effect.

Dizziness or severe drowsiness can cause falls or other accidents. Fentanyl injections are used in a hospital setting as an analgesic or anesthetic premedication for surgery. Place the medicine in your mouth between your cheek and gum, and hold the handle with your fingers. Twirl the handle to move the medicine around in your mouth while sucking on it.

FIND TREATMENT:

If you suspect someone is overdosing on fentanyl, call 911 immediately. Many people worry that calling emergency services for someone taking an illegal drug will get them in trouble, but this is not true. Many states have laws that protect not only the person who calls for help, but also the person overdosing from legal trouble. Fentanyl patches pose a danger to kids who can stick them on their skin or mouths. This can cause death by slowing their breathing and lowering oxygen levels in their blood. Dealers may sell it as a standalone drug or as a counterfeit for another drug (like oxycodone).

SUDs are characterized by compulsive drug seeking and drug use that can be difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. When someone is addicted to drugs, they continue to use them even though they cause health problems or issues at work, school, or home. Do not crush, split, suck, or chew fentanyl tablets, or swallow the tablets whole. You will get less relief for your breakthrough cancer pain. Do not change to another form of fentanyl eg injection, skin patch, dissolving film, or “lollipop” device.

In its liquid form, IMF can be found in nasal sprays, eye drops, and dropped onto paper or small candies. These behavioral treatment approaches have proven effective, especially when used along with medicines. Read more about drug addiction treatment on the Treatment page. Like other opioid addictions, medication with behavioral therapies has been shown to be effective in treating people with a fentanyl addiction. Addiction is the most severe form of a substance use disorder (SUD).