Where Does Fentanyl Come From
Fentanyl was once a drug that was unknown to many people, but it has become more notorious in recent years due to its increasing use as a substitute narcotic. It is a very potent painkiller and its effects are quite similar to those of heroin; which are deadly.
Where did it come from?
It’s often used in medical centres before surgery to numb pain. It’s also used to help treat chronic pain in people who are opioid-tolerant – which could be because they’ve developed a resistance to their medication and need a stronger analgesic. It’s even used to manage cancer pain when tumours are in advanced stages.
Although it’s used in hospitals, it’s still dangerous. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s around 50 times stronger than heroin – and around 100 times more powerful than morphine. Even a small dose of 2 milligrams is able to end the abuser’s life.
Non-pharmaceutical fentanyl is illegally manufactured in clandestine labs. Although it’s sold illegally it’s highly sought after, as it can produce similar effects to heroin. It can also be quite cheap for manufacturers to make, too.
The danger of non-pharmaceutical fentanyl
Non-pharmaceutical fentanyl can be laced with heroin or cocaine – and sometimes those purchasing the narcotic may not even know about it. Although some people knowingly abuse it for its powerful high; it is also sometimes used without the person knowing, as it is often disguised as its opioid brothers and sisters. Those who think they are buying a drug like heroin may instead be getting a narcotic that’s a lot more potent than they can handle.
Adding other chemicals to street drugs has caused many more fentanyl related deaths; some of which may be have been caused because the abusers were unaware of how powerful the drug that they were taking actually was.
How to recover from fentanyl addiction
There are many options for drug addicts when it comes to rehabilitation centres, but the most effective and popular are inpatient and outpatient facilities. These types of treatments are usually great at helping their patients to recover from narcotic addictions such as these.
An outpatient rehab allows the patient to attend the centre at set amounts of time to receive treatment – and the amount of time could be monthly, weekly, or at another set time (however, this can sometimes depend on the centre or the severity of the addiction).
An inpatient facility is very similar, except for the fact that the patient goes to the centre and stays there until their treatment program is over (this can also depend on the centre and addiction faced). Both of them are very effective, but outpatient centres are generally better for those with work or family commitments.