Fentanyl Addiction Treatment
Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that leads many to needing fentanyl addiction treatment, Medically, fentanyl is rarely used, except in the most extreme cases. But unfortunately, fentanyl has found its way into the black market. Since it is cheap and easy to synthesize, drug traffickers and dealers use it to “cut” their products. For example, because illegal fentanyl is more affordable and durable, many dealers sell it as heroin. Fentanyl use carries a high risk of addiction, overdose, and even death.
If you or someone you care about struggles with fentanyl addiction, our Lighthouse Recovery Institute team can help. Our fentanyl addiction treatment program provides a range of services and therapeutic approaches so that each person receives the exact level of care they need to leave fentanyl addiction behind. Learn more about our programs and services from our friendly team at 866-308-2090 or contact us here.
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic prescription opioid, meaning that it is created in a lab and functions similarly to other opiates like heroin and Percocet. In some cases, fentanyl is prescribed to patients in hospice or suffers from severe, debilitating conditions that cause chronic pain. Fentanyl binds to receptors in the brain that increase the risk of drug addiction. People abuse fentanyl through nasal sprays, eye droppers, snorting, or injecting drugs. In addition, common medications involved in triggering responses in the central nervous system can be detrimental to someone’s mental health.
Even long-term users are likely unaccustomed to the effects of fentanyl and can overdose on minimal amounts, especially when they are not aware that their drugs contain fentanyl. Fentanyl has shown up in tests of cocaine, heroin, and even counterfeit prescription pills all around the country, and unfortunately, users are often unaware of this added danger.
Side Effects of Fentanyl Abuse
Like many opiates, fentanyl causes short-term effects such as:
- Drowsiness
- Slowed breathing
- Nausea or vomiting
- Itching
- Delayed reaction times
However, fentanyl can also cause overdoses, even in tiny amounts. Signs that someone is suffering an overdose on fentanyl include purple, blue, or grey skin tone, unresponsiveness, labored, irregular, slowed breathing, stopped breathing, and loss of consciousness. If you suspect someone had overdosed on fentanyl, or any other substance, immediately call 911.
Other adverse effects of fentanyl use and addiction are:
- Depression
- Lowered pain tolerance
- Relationship conflicts
- Organ damage
- Abscesses
- Communicable disease contraction in intravenous fentanyl users
Fentanyl Addiction Treatment at Lighthouse Recovery Institute
Addiction has the potential to destroy lives. For the person with the addiction, it can cause desperation, unemployment, loss of values and relationships, health conditions, anxiety and depression, and even fatal overdoses. For those who love the person with the fentanyl addiction, they might feel fear, anger, mistrust, and a loss of the person they once knew. No one should live this way, and fortunately, there is hope for people who suffer from addiction to fentanyl and other opiates.
In the fentanyl addiction treatment program at Lighthouse Recovery Institute, we offer patients the opportunity to recover from fentanyl addiction and the tools necessary to sustain ongoing recovery. In our comprehensive program, people learn:
- Coping skills
- Relapse prevention strategies
- Responsive regulation practices
- Life skills
Also, patients address various issues and needs, ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or sexual trauma and grief resolution to medication management.
