Fentanyl Overdose Facts
The impact that taking fentanyl can have on a person’s life is startling. Did you know that fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and nearly 100 times more potent than morphine? Even scarier, approximately 150 people die every day due to fentanyl use. Although fentanyl can be used pharmaceutically, several instances of illicitly manufactured fentanyl can ultimately result in death. Understanding these facts and your prescription drug treatment options can be lifesaving for you or a loved one.
What Causes An Accidental Fentanyl Overdose?
The rate of opioid overdose death is something that has gone up tremendously in the last few years. This is because, although fentanyl is a legal drug, there has been an increase in counterfeit pills and pills containing this substance that individuals have inadvertently purchased. As a result, any person’s accidental death involving fentanyl is a genuine possibility. Whether you are suffering from active addiction or only taking fentanyl once, if you consume this drug knowingly or unknowingly, you put yourself in a potentially dangerous position of experiencing an accidental overdose death.
Why Fentanyl Is So Dangerous?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has become a serious concern to public safety due to the increase in deaths associated with this drug. This drug has become so dangerous because it’s inexpensive to manufacture, and, as a result, many pills containing fentanyl have been found. From San Diego to New York City, countless people lose their lives due to purchasing counterfeit drugs containing fentanyl.
Ways to Prevent Accidental Fentanyl Overdose
You can take several steps to ensure that you or your loved ones don’t suffer an overdose death or an opioid overdose. Here are a few things that you can do to avoid drug overdose deaths as a result of fentanyl use:
Test strips
There are specific test strips that you can use to test your drug of choice for fentanyl. Although the best thing to do would be to avoid opioid involvement altogether, testing for fentanyl before you use drugs can help to prevent overdose death.
Avoid using unprescribed opioids
One of the best ways to avoid a risk of overdose is to simply not take this drug unless it’s something specifically prescribed to you. When prescription opioids are consumed outside of doctor’s orders, there is a noticeably higher spike in death rates among people who participate in opioid involvement.
Consume these substances in a safe environment
If you’re lost in the chaos of addiction, something you can do to avoid the risk of overdose is to ensure that you’re in a safe environment. Many locations offer a pill or syringe service program with individuals who will monitor your response to these illicit drug substances.
Reach out for help
When you recognize that you have an addiction to prescription opioids, one of the best things you can do regarding harm reduction is to reach out for help. Addiction to fentanyl can cause severe physical and mental health issues that could hurt your overall quality of life.
If you do enter rehab for addiction, here is what to tell your friends and family:
What to Do if an Accidental Fentanyl Overdose Occurs
If you have a loved one that experienced an accidental overdose, you should first reach out to emergency services to provide immediate assistance. This is something that usually comes in the form of Narcan, which is something that can block the effects of fentanyl.
If you’re struggling with a fentanyl overdose, we encourage you to contact our addiction treatment experts at Muse Treatment Center. Our intake team is available around the clock to provide you with the levels of care needed to work through the various factors of your addiction. If you want more information about the type of addiction treatment services we offer, we encourage you to contact us at (800) 426-1818.
