Effects of Fentanyl Addiction
Fentanyl is considered as one of the most potent narcotic that is prescribed for the treatment of severe to chronic pain. This drug is considered extremely dangerous if not taken as prescribed because of its addictive nature and thus the chances of abuse of this drug are very high. The major reason behind the abuse of Fentanyl is because of the strong feeling of euphoria and pleasure that most recreational users or abusers experience when they inject or ingest this drug.
Fentanyl addiction has the potential of destroying a person’s physical and mental health completely until the person is so dependent on the drug that he can think of nothing else but his next fix. The negative side effects of Fentanyl addiction are:
- Complete physical and psychological dependence on the drug
- Strong cravings for the drug that cannot be controlled
- Tolerance build up for the drug which means the addict requires higher doses to get the same effect as before
- Occurrence withdrawal symptoms if the body does not get the usual fix of the drug
Fentanyl Detox Options
Fentanyl detox is the first and the most important step in the treatment of Fentanyl addiction. This process cleans the body of the addict of all the traces of the toxic drug. When an addict suddenly stops using Fentanyl, the sudden withdrawal causes the patient to suffer from unpleasant physical effects.
- Medical drug detox is a process that helps the patient deal with these effects by reducing their severity. Medical detoxification takes place in a residential rehab facility under the eye of an addiction treatment specialist.
- Intensive inpatient detoxification is usually a necessity for severe addiction cases and this usually lasts for three to five days followed by intensive counseling and behavioral modification.
Treatment Options for Fentanyl Addiction
Fentanyl addiction treatment include both inpatient rehab programs and outpatient rehab programs and Suboxone can be used in the treatment of this condition.
The inpatient rehab program requires the patient to stay in the facility for the duration of the program while an outpatient program allows the patient to stay at home and requires him to attend daily counseling and therapy sessions. Both these treatment programs involve:
- Fentanyl Detox
- Counseling and Behavior Modification to Break the Desire for Drugs
- Aftercare plan
