Fentanyl is one of the opioids but is different in the sense that this one is synthetic. Other opioids are derived from botanical sources such as opium poppy plants. But fentanyl is created by scientists in labs. They use the same chemical structure as opioids.
Fentanyl as prescription
Do you know fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine?
That’s why doctors prescribe fentanyl to kill pain in patients with severe conditions. They either give a fentanyl shot to the patient or put a patch on the patient’s skin. Fentanyl is also available as lozenges that the patient can suck.
All this sounds good, right?
Yet, fentanyl is the culprit behind thousands of drug overdoses in the US. Fentanyl addiction is one of the serious concerns in America.
This “innocent” opioid created in a lab to help patients cope with pain has turned into a monster on the streets.
Fentanyl as a street drug
Today, fentanyl is easily available as a street drug. In fact, it is quite popular among drug peddlers because it is cheap, can be made easily in labs, and is used as a cutting agent for other drugs.
Drug peddlers have stooped to such a low that they put fentanyl in nasal sprays, eye droppers, or blotting paper, or create pills that look exactly like prescription drugs.
That’s not all.
They mix fentanyl with other drugs like cocaine and heroin without the users’ knowing!
This is one of the main reasons users overdose and even die, says one of the specialists at the Massachusetts drug rehab center. They think they are taking pure cocaine or heroin. But, with fentanyl laced in it, the same dose becomes doubly powerful, something that their body is not used to. As a consequence, the dose becomes lethal.
The world of drugs is so sinister it is best to stay away from it. Yet, millions of people live in the dark world of drugs.
If you know anybody in your family or around you who is doing drugs, please call the drug addiction hotline immediately. What if they are using the fentanyl-laced drug? They may overdose anytime.
Fentanyl overdose
Fentanyl overdose slows down breathing. It can even stop it. This results in reduction or interruption in the supply of oxygen to the brain. The condition is known as hypoxia. This condition can send a person into coma and cause permanent damage to the brain. It can also lead to death.
Treating fentanyl overdose
Administering naloxone (a kind of medication) to the person at once can save his or her life. Naxolone binds with opioid receptors immediately and blocks the effect of fentanyl.
However, you must administer the medication at once. Please call 911 when you see somebody overdosed.
For the rest of the users, it is best to enroll in a drug rehab program and save yourselves from such an unfortunate happening.
Drugs is not a way of living; it is a way to destruction.
