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What is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is an opioid that is usually used as a pain medication. It is sometimes used for treating patients suffering from conditions that cause chronic pain (such as cancer) who are physically tolerant to other opioids. The drug can be worn as a patch, injected, sprayed through the nose or dissolved through the mouth. Recently, illicit fentanyl powder manufactured in abroad has become the main source of fentanyl abuse in the United States
Despite being referred to as the synthetic cousin of heroin, fentanyl is about 50 times more potent than heroin thereby making it very dangerous and very easy to overdose on. As reported by the New York Times, deaths caused by fentanyl more than doubled from 2015 to 2016. During this period, it killed more people than heroin, cocaine, and meth.
History of Fentanyl
Fentanyl first found its way into the United States in the 1960s as an injectable anesthetic under the brand Sublimaze. Fentanyl was labeled as a Schedule II drug by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 due to its addictive nature. As we progressed through the 1970s, illegal versions of fentanyl started penetrating the market, thereby increasing the occurrence of fentanyl addiction. By the early 1990s, the fentanyl patch was already available for transdermal use.
After the death of the music superstar Prince in 2016 from a fentanyl overdose, the dangers of this drug was just being discovered by mainstream America. However, fentanyl abuse had silently become common before Prince’s death. It actually spiked between 2014 and 2015 and the rate of deaths due to fentanyl increased by over 70% during this period.
Is Fentanyl Addictive?
Yes. Fentanyl is highly addictive. As a result, addiction to fentanyl can easily develop if the drug is not used in line with a physician’s prescription. It’s hard to stop using fentanyl since it affects the reward centers in the brain.
Fentanyl is very deadly when it is snorted or injected. It is also very dangerous when it is used together with other drugs or alcohol. It is important to note that fentanyl addiction and dependency can also occur even under medical supervision.
Fentanyl addiction can occur under a short period of time. Mental fentanyl dependency can start after some people use the drug for the first time. Due to the high potency of the drug, an individual can become physically dependent and addicted to fentanyl after using it for a couple of times. Once you’ve become tolerant to the drug, you develop painful withdrawal symptoms that can be alleviated with a New Jersey fentanyl detox.
How Does Fentanyl Affect The Brain?
Like other opioid drugs, fentanyl binds to the body’s opioid receptors that are found in the areas of the brain that are responsible for controlling pain and emotions. After taking fentanyl many times, the brain gets used to the drug, and requires higher doses to reach the same initial effects. When people become addicted to the drug, they start to abuse it and will do anything to get more.
Some of the effects of fentanyl include:
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Sedation
- Constipation
- Difficulty with breathing
- Unconsciousness
New Jersey Fentanyl Addiction Statistics
The most recent data from the CDC revealed that New Jersey showed a significant increase in fentanyl overdose deaths.
In 2017, fentanyl was responsible for about 1400 fatalities that occurred statewide. This figure represented about half of the drug abuse death toll that occurred in New Jersey in 2017. Fentanyl also caused 14.43% of deaths in 2010.
Fentanyl was also responsible for 818 deaths in 2016 and the derivatives of the drug were responsible for 164 fatalities.
Fentanyl Rehab Centers in New Jersey
Like other forms of opioid addiction, the combination of medication-assisted treatment and behavioral therapy is effective in treating those struggling with fentanyl addiction.
NJ Addiction Resources has been helping men and women struggling with fentanyl addiction achieve long-term recovery through its network of New Jersey fentanyl addiction treatment programs and centers. Our wide network of fentanyl rehab programs in New Jersey will help you find the best New Jersey fentanyl addiction treatment center and will also guide you to locate the appropriate treatment program.
Talk to one of our representatives today to get the professional care that will place your feet on the path to a healthier life.