Fentanyl has been making headlines in the news.

It has been at the center of talk on the opioid crisis and is a rising concern. At Clearbrook Treatment Centers, we are giving you some basic facts on fentanyl to educate you about this deadly new drug.

What Is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is used to treat severe pain, especially post-surgery. Fentanyl has many other names including Actiq, Duragesic, Apache, China White, Jackpot, and many more. It is similar to morphine and extremely potent compared to other painkillers. For medical purposes, fentanyl can come in the form of a shot, patch, or even lozenges.  Although it is a prescription drug, it can also be abused and has played a major factor in the opioid epidemic. When sold on the street, fentanyl is more likely to come as a powder or pills.

Because of its strong potency, fentanyl can be incredibly addictive. Many people require a professional pain killer addiction program to overcome their addiction safely.

5 Fast Fentanyl Drug Facts

Fentanyl has been a major concern in more recent years. As a drug rehab in PA, we have seen a growing number of patients struggling with this drug in particular. Because of this trend, we are going over some fentanyl facts that you should be aware of.

1. Fentanyl is actually 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.¹ With such alarmingly high potency, it is no wonder that people become addicted so easily.
2. The number of synthetic opioid overdose deaths have risen more than 10-fold from 2013 to 2018 alone.² Many people suspect that fentanyl is the biggest drug to blame for this stark increase.
3. The history of fentanyl began in Belgium. Janssen Pharmaceutical developed the drug in 1959, and it was later introduced as an intravenous anesthetic in the 1960s.³ Since that time, new forms of fentanyl such as patches and lozenges have been created for medical purposes, but it has also come to be abused.
4. One of the scariest facts on fentanyl is that heroin, meth, or cocaine can be laced with it unbeknownst to the user. This drug combination can have fatal consequences and lead to overdose. The worst part is that this trend has only been increasing. One study found that between 2013 and 2018, the rate of their cocaine samples that included fentanyl increased from 0.9% to 17.6%, and the same held true for meth samples that went from 0.9% to 7.9% in the same amount of time.⁴
5. Fentanyl in Pennsylvania, in particular, is a major problem. Pennsylvania is among the states with one of the highest problems as the number of fentanyl confiscation reports from July 2014 to December 2014 reached over 100; Pennsylvania was one of only six states with a number over 99 in these six months.¹

If you have used this deadly drug before, we hope that these fentanyl facts are alarming and motivate you to get help. Whether you are looking for fentanyl, heroin, or opiate addiction treatment in Pennsylvania, let us help. At Clearbrook Treatment Centers, we work with patients to help them move past their drug or alcohol addictions. Get started today by calling 570-536-9621.

Sources:

1. CDC – Opioid Overdose – Fentanyl
2. Medscape – Ten-Fold Rise in Deaths from Fentanyl, Other Synthetic Opioids
3. NCBI – Report of a patient chewing fentanyl patches who was titrated onto methadone
4. MedicineNet – Lethal Deception: Deaths From Cocaine Laced With Fentanyl on the Rise