Alberta and British Columbia Residents : Fentanyl Abuse Facts – Options Okanagan Treatment Centers in Kelowna, British Columbia treating drug opiate, fentanyl, heroin and alcohol addiction and addiction recovery programs.
Fentanyl belongs to the synthetic pain reliever class. Its potency is greater than morphine. It also is highly addictive. According to statistics, fatalities and overdoses of Fentanyl are increasing. That is why it is so important to know and understand what is considered to be an abuse of this drug.
When Fentanyl is used as an anesthetic it is legal. In addition, it is administered by medical professionals for managing severe pain to cancer patients or people in intensive care.
Patients are given fentanyl via a transdermal patch or in lozenge form. The patch slowly releases fentanyl into the bloodstream.
The drug is not nearly as well known as other opiates such as codeine, oxycodone, and heroin. What makes it so attractive to drug users is its strength. The American Medical Association conducted a study in 2004 that showed that compared to morphine it is 50-100 times stronger.
Fentanyl abuse begins when a user or patient start taking a higher dose than what is prescribed. If given in a patch, the person will apply more of them than necessary. Individuals using them that don’t have a medical need are definitely abusing the drug. It intensely and quickly activates the brain’s pleasure points.
Whenever the brain’s pleasure points are activated, the user will continue to chase after this euphoric feeling. It turns into a reward. From a physiological standpoint, the bod will start to crave the drug. That is when abuse becomes very evident. Some of the major signs that the drug is being abused by an individual include the following:
a) Displaying obsessive thought or behaviors for obtaining and using the drug.
b) Mixing it with a street drug such as cocaine or heroin.
c) Using Fentanyl along with other substance to increase the effects.
d) Taking it more often than prescribed.
f) Increasing their dose without a doctor’s approval.
g) Continuing to take Fentanyl even after the condition has healed for what it was prescribed for.
At times abusers will also forge prescriptions. They might even do doctor shopping in order to legally get prescriptions for their condition.
The reason why this drug is preferred by addicts over other narcotics is that it can do in one dose what it takes several doses to do with other drugs. The main medical concern is when a three-day long patch is taken by an addict, an incredibly high amount of this drug is being put into their system. A majority of addicts use more than a single patch in a three day period, placing them at a very high risk for becoming addicted to the drug.
Options Okanagan Opiate and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Opiate Drug and Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and even other provinces for Opiate addiction treatment, heroin drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Drug and Opiate Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331