Signs Of Fentanyl Abuse

Signs That Someone Is Using Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a potent opioid, and the signs that someone is misusing it are similar to the signs of someone using other opioids, like heroin.

Signs of fentanyl use may include physical signs, such as:

• Tiny, pinpoint-like eye pupils
• Slow breathing
• Vomiting or nausea
• A reduced heart rate
• Slow body movements
• Scabs on the face or arms
• Unexplained burns on lips or fingers
• Falling asleep or nodding in and out of consciousness
• A limp body

Behavioral signs of fentanyl use include:

• New and unexpected fluctuations in mood
• Increased secrecy or hostile reactions
• Decline in personal hygiene or appearance
• Social isolation or detachment
• Missing money or valuable items
• Forging prescriptions to obtain fentanyl
• Doctor shopping to try and obtain more fentanyl

Someone using too much fentanyl can quickly experience an overdose. Depending on the amount of fentanyl someone takes, it is crucial to monitor the signs and seek emergency care if they appear to lose consciousness or stop breathing. Their lips and fingertips may turn blue, you may hear choking or gurgling sounds, or they may not wake up on demand.

How Do I Help Someone Who Is Abusing Fentanyl?

If you have observed signs and are concerned a loved one is misusing fentanyl, there are steps that you can take to support them.

• Have a one-on-one, non-judgmental conversation to share your concerns. Ensure that it is an appropriate place and time to lessen the risk of heightened emotions.
• Calmly discuss the realistic dangers of fentanyl and how easy it is to overdose.
• Have information on how treatment works and some rehab options.
• Have naloxone in your possession to intervene in the event of an overdose.

If your loved one is not receptive and refuses your support, you may consider hosting an intervention with the help of a professional.

Side Effects Of Prescription Fentanyl Use

Prescription fentanyl is a synthetic drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that is manufactured in a laboratory. Doctors prescribe fentanyl to ease the severe pain of patients experiencing terminal diseases or life-threatening events. It is also prescribed for pain during surgeries.

Doctors choose the appropriate dose and delivery of the medicine based on a patient’s needs and preferences. Prescription fentanyl comes in various dose forms, such as:

• Transmucosal lozenges, often called lollipops.
• Buccal tablets that dissolve between the cheek and teeth.
• Sublingual tablets that dissolve under the tongue.
• Sublingual oral sprays.
• Nasal sprays.
• Injectables taken directly into a vein.
• Transdermal patches that absorb through the skin.

Misuse of fentanyl refers to taking higher doses or consuming more than prescribed. Ingestion methods include crushing a tablet, then snorting it, or melting it into a liquid to inject it. Some people misuse the patches by sucking the gel from the patch rather than placing it on the skin. Patches are sometimes cut into pieces and frozen, then placed in the mouth, or the gel is removed and injected into a vein.

No matter how prescription fentanyl is taken, there is potential for severe risks. The side effects of prescription fentanyl may include one or more of the following:

Misuse of prescription fentanyl can lead to addiction, coma, overdose, or death. Mixing fentanyl with other substances can increase the chances of adverse or fatal consequences.

Effects Of Illicit Fentanyl Use

Illicit fentanyl is not the same as prescription fentanyl. People who buy it on the street typically receive it as a tablet or powder or spiked on blotter papers. Many times, people who think they are buying a drug other than fentanyl, like cocaine or heroin, find out it is mixed with fentanyl.

The effects of illicit fentanyl use can be hazardous since the exact ingredients in the drug are unknown, which is often caused by a manufacturing site with no regulations.

Someone taking illicit fentanyl has no way of knowing how much of the drug they are consuming, which is why opioids are the number one cause of overdose deaths in America. The effects of misusing fentanyl are like the effects of prescription fentanyl but may appear more quickly and be more intense. Common effects may include the following:

• Digestive issues
• Immunosuppression
• Migraines
• Vertigo
• Mental health disorders
• Insomnia
• Suicidality
• Respiratory depression
• Cardiac events
• Hypothermia

Illicit fentanyl has various analogs, which have all been discovered in toxicity testing among people who overdose. The different types of fentanyl vary in how they compare to the strength of morphine, altering the intensity of the effects, such as:

• Acetyl fentanyl is 15 times stronger than morphine.
• Valery fentanyl is less than 20 times stronger than morphine.
• Furanyl fentanyl is 20-25 times stronger than morphine.
• Acryl fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine.
• Carfentanil is 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than morphine.

Based on this information, you can see how someone taking cocaine mixed with acryl fentanyl will experience effects that are 85 times higher than a drug mixed with acetyl fentanyl. This extreme potency can lead to digestive issues, respiratory depression, and cardiac abnormalities that may occur faster and with more intensity.

Like prescription fentanyl, misuse can lead to overdose, coma, and death. Many overdose survivors claim they did not intend to use fentanyl and did not know they were consuming it. Unfortunately, most of the opioid-related overdose deaths involve illicit fentanyl.

It is a drug with a quick onset; within a few minutes, a person will begin to feel the effects. Also, the effects last longer than other forms of opioids. This means within a few minutes, someone can have a fatal reaction to the drug, whether they meant to take it or not.

Long-Term Effects Of Illicit Fentanyl Abuse

Misusing illicit fentanyl increases the risks of someone experiencing physical and mental health problems. Fentanyl weakens parts of the body, such as bone and muscle, making ordinary tasks a risk for significant injury. Some of the long-term effects may include:

• Fractures or broken bones
• Severe constipation and bowel obstructions
• Breathing problems while sleeping
• Weak immune system
• Hormone changes
• Reproductive problems
• Mental health disorders
• Cardiac abnormalities

Misusing fentanyl leads to increasing tolerance, meaning someone must take more fentanyl to achieve the desirable effects. As tolerance increases, so do the risks of dependence and addiction.

What Are The Risks Associated With Fentanyl?

A significant risk of using fentanyl is that of addiction. The time it takes someone to become addicted to fentanyl varies. For some, it may only take a few uses, while for others, it may take months. Signs of addiction include the following criteria:

• Using fentanyl for longer and in larger amounts than intended
• Wanting to cut back or stop using but being unable to
• Spending most of their time seeking, using, or recovering from fentanyl use
• Craving fentanyl or having urges to use it
• Being unable to fulfill obligations at work, home, school, or socially due to fentanyl use
• Continuing to use fentanyl even though it costs relationships
• Giving up or avoiding activities to use fentanyl
• Continuing to use fentanyl even though doing so puts them in danger
• Continuing to use the drug, knowing it will worsen a physical or mental health problem
• Developing a tolerance for the drug
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when cutting back or going without fentanyl

Having two or three criteria suggests a mild fentanyl use disorder, whereas having three to five is moderate, and six or more is severe.

When using fentanyl, the risk of an overdose is higher, especially when using illicit fentanyl. Overdose symptoms may include:

• Stupor
• Cold and clammy skin
• Pupil changes
• Skin color changing to blue or purple
• Respiratory failure
• Coma

Illicit fentanyl may also be manufactured with a mixture of drugs like cocaine or xylazine, increasing the chances of an adverse reaction. The FDA has approved naloxone as an antidote medicine to reverse the effects of a fentanyl overdose.

Reducing Harm

Harm reduction is a priority today to prevent adverse and fatal consequences of using opioids, including fentanyl.

The US Department of Health and Human Services reports decades of research show the benefits of harm reduction activities, including preventing deaths, overdoses, and the transmission of infectious diseases through the use of shared needles. Harm reduction programs include:

• Fentanyl testing strips to ensure illicit drugs are not mixed with fentanyl.
• Syringe services programs to avoid sharing needles.
• Widening the access to overdose-reversing medications, like Narcan.

It is imperative to educate the public and get the word out that there are ways not only to reduce the harm that opioids can create but also that help is available. Treatment solutions are available for anyone, at any stage, of an opioid use disorder.

Opioid Dependence

The longer someone uses fentanyl or other opioids, the more likely it is they will develop a dependence on the drug. Dependence can be psychological and physical. Psychological dependence occurs when a person’s thoughts seem obsessive surrounding a drug or drug use. Most of their thoughts are centered on finding and using the drug, and they have severe cravings, leading them to take significant risks to obtain the drug.

Physical dependence refers to the body adjusting to having fentanyl in its system when functioning. The brain convinces the body that it needs fentanyl to survive. Physical dependence leads to withdrawal symptoms when someone goes without the drug or tries to quit. Withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that people continue to use opioids to avoid them.

When Should I See A Doctor?

There is no wrong time to see a doctor regarding fentanyl use or addiction. However, if you have been using fentanyl and feel you are unable to control your use or aren’t able to stop using it on your own, now is the time. Meeting any of the criteria above for having an opioid use disorder or if you have experienced an overdose signals it is time to seek medical treatment.

Seeing a doctor, specifically an addiction medicine specialist, is a way to gain education and perspective on your fentanyl use. They understand substance misuse versus substance use disorders and can give you an accurate diagnosis. They can also offer an effective treatment plan.

Treatment plans with high success rates often include the use of medication assistance to help ease your withdrawal symptoms so you can focus on learning the necessary skills to achieve long-term recovery from fentanyl and other opioids.

What To Do If You Notice Signs Of Fentanyl Abuse

Fentanyl is an opioid that can quickly lead to higher tolerance, dependence, addiction, and overdose. Fentanyl is not a drug that you can misuse for long without experiencing short-term or long-term adverse effects. The sooner you seek treatment, the better.

If you notice signs of fentanyl abuse in a loved one, or are abusing fentanyl yourself, contact a treatment provider today. They can answer your rehab-related questions and help get you on the road to recovery.