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However, in contrast to other opiates, it is less common to find forms of synthetic drugs such as oral tablets or powders. The transdermal patch is for the long-term management of pain. This article focuses on injectable fentanyl; more detailed coverage of the transdermal formulation is available in the StatPearls specific article on transdermal fentanyl. Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid, which, similar to morphine, produces analgesia but to a greater extent. This robust pharmacologic agent is typically 50 to 100 times more potent. A dose of only 100 micrograms can produce equivalent analgesia to approximately 10 mg of morphine.
One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. Prescription fentanyl is dosed in micrograms, designated by the abbreviation “mcg”. Most other drugs are dosed in milligrams (« mg ») — for example, 500 mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol) or 25 mg of diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Long-term https://ecosoberhouse.com/boston-sober-house-dorchester/ use of opioid medication may affect fertility (ability to have children) in men or women. It is not known whether opioid effects on fertility are permanent. You should not use fentanyl unless you are already being treated with a similar opioid pain medicine and your body is tolerant to it.
Risks of fentanyl use
It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl unless you test your drugs with fentanyl test strips. In its liquid form, IMF can be found in nasal sprays, eye drops, and dropped onto paper or small candies. Treatment for fentanyl addiction is the same as for any opioid use disorder and depends on the severity how long does fentanyl stay in your system of the addiction. Treatment may include inpatient or outpatient detox, medication treatments for managing cravings and relapse, and residential and outpatient behavioral treatment programs. Older people are more likely than younger individuals to experience adverse effects, especially the respiratory depressant effects of fentanyl.
Note that this list is not all-inclusive and includes only common medications that may interact with fentanyl. You should refer to the prescribing information for fentanyl for a complete list of interactions. Do not crush, split, suck, or chew fentanyl tablets, or swallow the tablets whole.
Treatment
Fentanyl patches are applied to the skin to treat moderate to severe chronic pain around the clock. Fentanyl patches are used when other pain treatments such as non-opioid pain medicines or immediate-release opioid medicines do not treat your pain well enough or you cannot tolerate them. Fentanyl is a synthetic, opioid medication initially created in 1960 during a quest to develop safer and more potent alternatives to the narcotic analgesic medications that were available at the time. Fentanyl was introduced into the United States as a powerful intravenous anesthetic and was later developed into a skin patch as well as oral formulations for pain relief.
As the chief of medical toxicology at UMass Chan Medical School, I have studied fentanyl and its analogs for years. As fentanyl has become ubiquitous across the U.S., it has transformed the illicit drug market and raised the risk of overdose. Fentanyl is an extremely potent opioid that offers significant pain relief to those who live with severe acute or chronic pain conditions. However, it is also capable of causing considerable harm or death to people with opioid use disorders or people who are accidentally exposed to the drug. People often either mix analogs with, or substitute them, for heroin. Because fentanyl is much more potent than heroin, there is also a hugely increased risk of overdose and death.
What Are the Symptoms of a Fentanyl Overdose?
The Food and Drug Administration has warned that deaths and overdoses have occurred in people using both the brand-name product Duragesic and generic transdermal fentanyl patches. Most recently, it warned that children are at particular risk for accidental death from exposure. Naloxone/naltrexone are robust opioid antagonists that function by blocking µ-receptors.