One user they spoke to, who had taken fentanyl bent over the drug hours earlier but remained bent over, was asked if he was able to stand up straight. “I mean, I can, but it hurts a lot to have to do that,” he said. Fentanyl can be made into pills or powders, which can unknowingly get mixed into other drugs. There is a curious thing about opiates and the downward force they exert on the spine. They warp the back from line to curve; they coax column to arch, y-axis to parabola.
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Illegal drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, are sometimes mixed with fentanyl, which makes the drugs more potent. If someone with a substance use disorder is unaware of the added fentanyl, this can put them at a higher risk of accidental overdose or death. Medications are the standard treatment for fentanyl addiction.32,33 Several medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of opioid use disorder.
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Anoxic brain injury is just one of the ailments that can affect overdose survivors. Of the 225,000 British Columbians using unregulated substances, fewer than 5,000 receive safe supply prescriptions, according to provincial data. Hugh Lampkin says he abused drugs — everything from pot to PCP — for decades.
The opioid crisis has claimed more than 13,000 lives in his province since 2016. Coroners Service confirmed another 175 suspected deaths in September. That’s 10 per cent less than died in Sept. 2022, but still 5.8 drug deaths per day, with most deaths reported in Vancouver, Surrey and Greater Victoria.
Respiratory Depression
This rocking can range from mild to quite severe as individuals struggle to regain balance as their bodies succumb to the extreme sedative effects of Fentanyl on the central nervous system. As long as it is safe to do so contact emergency services or if you have “Narcan” or other opiate overdose preventatives be ready to administer if the person loses consciousness or stops breathing. Prescription fentanyl is FDA -approved to treat severe pain related to surgery or complex pain conditions. Over the past decade, fentanyl that is made and distributed illegally has become increasingly common in the illegal drug supply and has contributed to a surge in drug overdose deaths. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid pain medication as well as a common contaminant found in illicit drugs.
Fentanyl’s strength increases this risk of overdose substantially. Synthetic opioids sold illicitly can be mixed with heroin or cocaine, which amplifies what is Oxford House its potency and potential danger. This is particularly dangerous if an individual who uses illegal substances like heroin or intentionally misuses prescription drugs is unaware that fentanyl could be in it. The phenomenon of fentanyl users bending over is a visible manifestation of the drug’s powerful effects on the body.
People often assume someone who is bent over or nodding is “just high” and will wake up. A user may appear stable one moment and stop breathing the next. Some people claim they can tell they are taking fentanyl, rather than heroin, due to its pale color (which ranges from bright white to off-white) and sweet taste. However, this is not a reliable indicator of whether a person is taking real fentanyl or not. Fentanyl use can result in death even with one dose, especially if a person accidentally takes it incorrectly.
To be tasked in this way and have the pathetic tools of medicine the only ones on hand. To attempt to fix a problem that should never have been allowed to set in the first place. This moment, back-askew, fentanyl-on-receptors, veins-scarred-over, years passed on the streets. We needed something, anything, one hundred thousand fentanyl hits ago. I cannot think of anything more difficult, more painful to witness, than trying to help walk back the years of destruction the streets have wrought. I could have done more, I could do so much more, if you had given me this moment earlier, at the beginning.
- “I mean, I can, but it hurts a lot to have to do that,” he said.
- It is confounding how things affect one person and not another.
- Understanding what is carfentanil—a substance even more powerful than fentanyl—helps illustrate the lethal danger of opioids.
- Fentanyl affects people differently, depending on an individual’s size and overall health condition.
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Bystanders administered naloxone and performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. He was taken to a hospital, where he spent 3 days in the intensive care unit. He went on to recover and was discharged to a rehabilitation program. Through holistic opioid addiction treatment, Lumina Recovery is ready to help you or a loved one at any step of the healing process from medically assisted detox to aftercare, and everything in between. As fentanyl addiction takes hold, individuals may become more secretive and isolated.
The central nervous system (CNS) controls everything from thought processes to involuntary actions like breathing. Fentanyl affects the CNS by attaching to receptors in the brain and spinal cord, reducing the perception of pain and releasing large amounts of dopamine, the chemical responsible for pleasure and reward. Fentanyl can have negative health effects, even when taken as prescribed. These effects may include confusion, drowsiness, nausea, visual disturbances, constipation, muscle stiffness, and many others. If you unknowingly take fentanyl in another drug, you may overdose since fentanyl is so potent. Withdrawal symptoms typically start within 12 hours after your last dose of the drug.
Addressing Fentanyl Addiction
Fentanyl abuse isn’t the only opioid that can cause the awkward body reaction, Ciccarone said. “It’s a degree of loss of consciousness and a degree of lost muscular control,” Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a UCSF professor of addiction medicine, told ABC7 San Francisco. Alternately called “the fentanyl fold” or “the fentanyl bend over,” videos and photos of people reportedly using the drug have spread through social media. He says fentanyl in long-term users takes time to clear out of the system because the drug tends to accumulate in the fat tissue. “It’s a degree of loss of consciousness and a degree of lost muscular control,” said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a UCSF professor of addiction medicine. Researchers still don’t know if fentanyl causes long-term effects on the spine, however there are signs that it causes major systemic and circulation https://ecosoberhouse.com/ issues.
Throw away the remaining handles in a place that is out of the reach of children and pets, and flush the toilet twice when it contains up to five lozenges. Dispose of unneeded tablets by removing them from the packaging and flushing them down the toilet. Throw the remaining fentanyl packaging or cartons into a trash container; do not flush these items down the toilet. Call your pharmacist or the manufacturer if you have questions or need help disposing of unneeded medication.