Why Should You Stay Away From Fentanyl?
Fentanyl induced synthetic opioids account for one-third of all drug-related deaths in 2016. National Center for Health Stats states that it is a 700 per cent increase from five years ago for manufactured opioids. Fentanyl and other related drugs like carfentanil cost about as much as heroin to make but can increase profits by millions of dollars. It is also believed that fentanyl is 100x more powerful than morphine. It can, in short, we a lethal and disastrous combination.
Fentanyl: A Siren Song
When people on therapy take heroin, they don’t feel the positive effects. The reason behind this is cross-tolerance and this happens when tolerance to the effects of a certain drug produces tolerance to another drug. The big question with fentanyl revolves around whether or not it can override this cross-tolerance blockade. Doctors have started to hear that people are using fentanyl because they can get high even if they’re maintained on something like buprenorphine. Whereas in the past, they couldn’t do the same with heroin. It is basically a siren song that will pull you back into relapse. Even if you are on medication-assisted therapy, fentanyl could override it.
Carfentanil is Even Deadlier!
Carfentanil’s presence is gradually increasing in the heroin supply. It is widely believed that it is 100 times more potent than fentanyl. In Canada, police confiscated 1 kilogram of carfentanil in 2016. It is believed that a mere 2.2 pounds is enough to kill 50 million people.
If a patient relapses then the person may risk a fatal exposure in places where fentanyl or carfentanil taints the heroin supply. Carfentanil is an incredibly potent compound because the drug has a fast onset and produces an incredibly profound decrease in respiration. Lack of respiration is the main thing that kills people during an opioid overdose.
Doctors are currently prioritising finding a way to treat the extreme exposures to fentanyl and carfentanil. The key may be upping the dosage of buprenorphine or methadone, so a user can’t get high off fentanyl. Doctors are also considering developing a fentanyl vaccine as one potential option for the future. This is one approach that some NIDA-backed researchers are fairly far along in terms of developing but authorities are still to determine whether this vaccine works for all the different variations of fentanyl, like carfentanil.
Therefore, if you are addicted to any, it’s better to take help. So, call us now!