Fentanyl can be dangerous because it is roughly 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times much stronger than morphine. So, you can imagine how this drug can carry a high potential for misuse.
It is essential to know what does fentanyl do to you if you are worried about the risk of death and overdose.
Here is everything you must know about the side effects and medical uses of fentanyl. Then you can avoid misusing this drug while protecting yourself from anything laced with fentanyl.
What Does Fentanyl Do to You?
Fentanyl is a Schedule II prescription narcotic drug. It is way more potent than morphine and heroin combined and can be extremely addictive if you are not careful.
Many people with a fentanyl prescription may take it as a patch or shot in their arm. Others may consume it as a throat lozenge. At times, you can also come across various drugs laced with fentanyl.
It is no secret that people who struggle with substance use disorders can go down a dangerous rabbit hole to use synthetic fentanyl illegally. For instance, some people can get their hands on the drug through pills, powders, nasal sprays, and even eyedroppers.
The next time you see someone on the streets using eye drops, they may use fentanyl instead of the usual drops you find at your local eye doctor’s clinic. Check out this article on fentanyl detox for more information.
How Does It Affect the Brain?
Like other dangerous opioid drugs, fentanyl clings onto the receptors in a person’s brain. These receptors are responsible for affecting emotions and pain.
This is why the person can feel relaxed and euphoric after consuming the drug. It is also important to note that fentanyl affects everyone differently. The effects of fentanyl will depend on a person’s weight, overall health, and physical size.
The results of fentanyl will also depend on how much a person takes. The more fentanyl you consume, the more problems you may have in the long run.
It also matters if someone takes fentanyl with other drugs for a stronger high. Finally, the effects of fentanyl will also be dependent on whether a person is used to taking opioids.
As time passes, the brain has an incredible ability to adapt to fentanyl. This makes it challenging to experience any positive emotions unless you keep consuming the drug, so you can easily end up with an addiction if you are not careful.
Side Effects
It is no secret that older people are more likely to experience the harsh side effects of fentanyl than young people. This is due to the respiratory depressant effects caused by fentanyl use.
So, healthcare experts must always exercise extreme caution when dealing with older patients coping with stress and addiction. Some of the most common side effects of fentanyl are:
- Constipation
- Weakness
- Drowsiness
- Unconsciousness
- Dry Mouth
- Constricted Pupils
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Stiff Muscles
- Tight Throat Feeling
- Lack of Focus
- Itching
- Discoloration
If you use fentanyl as a patch, the adverse effects to look out for are swelling at the application site and rashes.
If you notice any of these symptoms, you must call your doctor for support to ensure you receive the right treatment to battle addiction.
Tackling Fentanyl Abuse
People who abuse fentanyl do their best to obtain it by diverting legitimate medical supplies. Or they create it in illegal laboratories or get it off the streets from someone else.
People can consume fentanyl orally. They can also inject it, smoke it, or snort it. However, no method is safer than another because fentanyl is a dangerously powerful drug.
Even a fentanyl patch thrown on the side of the street can still contain significant amounts of the drug.
So, people who abuse opioids can remove the gel contents from the patches and place it under their tongue or eat it.
Illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin are often mixed with fentanyl. This is what makes it even more potent.
Most people with substance use disorders may not realize how addictive fentanyl can be, putting everyone at a higher risk of death or overdose.
Withdrawal Symptoms
If you try to cut fentanyl out of your life, you may experience some intense withdrawal symptoms that start within 12 hours of your last dose. These symptoms can also last for over a week:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Runny Nose
- Hot/Cold Flashes
- Chills
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Severe Pain
- Goosebumps
- Dilated Pupils
If you use fentanyl, you risk developing a high tolerance to the drug. This means you will need to up your dose to achieve the desired effect each time you get high.
Remember that fentanyl is extremely dangerous and can make a person jeopardize their health and well-being in no time. If you do not get immediate professional help to tackle this addiction, you will blow through a lot of money trying to get your hands on more and more fentanyl every week.
This can cause a breakdown in your relationships because family and friends will be pained to see you deteriorate this way. Many opioid-addicted individuals tend to use fentanyl as a break from heroin.
It is an extremely lethal substitute because people struggle to understand how the dosages work. So, many patients end up taking too much, which can lead to deadly overdoses.
Fentanyl powder is also very challenging to dilute the right way. This can lead to a dangerously strong mixture that can be deadly even for those with high opioid tolerance.
Sometimes, death can happen quickly for people who use needles to consume fentanyl. Even with a single dose, there is always a risk that fentanyl can result in accidental death, even if someone takes the right amount correctly.
Get Support Today
Now that you know what does fentanyl do to you, it is time to find the right treatment program to reclaim your life and happiness.
Remember that a fentanyl overdose is an emergency, and anyone showing overdose symptoms should be rushed for medical attention.
Otherwise, patients risk hypoxia when their brain does not get enough oxygen if they are not given support immediately. If you enjoyed reading this drug addiction guide, check out some of our other posts for more valuable content.
