A person can be dependent on a substance without being addicted, but dependence can sometimes lead to addiction.Īddiction is the most severe form of a substance use disorder (SUD). A person taking prescription fentanyl as instructed by a doctor can experience dependence, which is characterized by withdrawal symptoms when the drug is stopped. Fentanyl is addictive because of its potency. Friends, family, and others in the community can use the nasal spray versions of naloxone to save someone who is overdosing. Some states have passed laws that allow pharmacists to dispense naloxone without a personal prescription. 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 ®). Once medical personnel arrive, they will administer naloxone if they suspect an opioid drug is involved. But fentanyl is stronger than other opioid drugs like morphine and might require multiple doses of naloxone.īecause of this, if you suspect someone has overdosed, the most important step to take is to call 911 so they can receive immediate medical attention. It works by rapidly binding to opioid receptors and blocking the effects of opioid drugs. Naloxone is a medicine that can treat a fentanyl overdose when given right away. How can a fentanyl overdose be treated?Īs mentioned above, many drug dealers mix the cheaper fentanyl with other drugs like heroin, cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine to increase their profits, making it often difficult to know which drug is causing the overdose.
Hypoxia can lead to a coma and permanent brain damage, and even death. This can decrease the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain, a condition called hypoxia. When people overdose on fentanyl, their breathing can slow or stop. An overdose occurs when a drug produces serious adverse effects and life-threatening symptoms. When people become addicted, drug seeking and drug use take over their lives. 8 After taking opioids many times, the brain adapts to the drug, diminishing its sensitivity, making it hard to feel pleasure from anything besides the drug. Like heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, fentanyl works by binding to the body's opioid receptors, which are found in areas of the brain that control pain and emotions. To learn more about the mixture of fentanyl into other drugs, visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Facts on fentanyl. They might be taking stronger opioids than their bodies are used to and can be more likely to overdose. This is especially risky when people taking drugs don’t realize they might contain fentanyl as a cheap but dangerous additive. This is because it takes very little to produce a high with fentanyl, making it a cheaper option. Some drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA.
This synthetic fentanyl is sold illegally as a powder, dropped onto blotter paper, put in eye droppers and nasal sprays, or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids. The illegally used fentanyl most often associated with recent overdoses is made in labs.
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When prescribed by a doctor, fentanyl can be given as a shot, a patch that is put on a person’s skin, or as lozenges that are sucked like cough drops. Some opioids are made from the plant directly, and others, like fentanyl, are made by scientists in labs using the same chemical structure (semi-synthetic or synthetic). Opioids are a class of drugs naturally found in the opium poppy plant.
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