How Does Rehab Help With Dual Addiction Recovery From Fentanyl and Meth?

On their own, fentanyl and methamphetamine are certainly dangerous enough. The synthetic opioid and illicit stimulant are each highly addictive, quickly hooking users on their short-lived “highs” and all too often sending them down the path of substance use disorder. Combined, the dangers of fentanyl and meth are a life-threatening duo that need to be avoided. Treatment at drug rehab centers can help, and can get you or your loved one on the road to recovery.

Table of Contents

What Makes Fentanyl and Meth a Dangerous Combination?
How Does Detox Work for Fentanyl and Meth Withdrawal?
What Therapies Are Used to Treat Dual Addiction?
What our customers are saying
Can You Recover From Fentanyl and Meth Addiction at the Same Time?
Key Takeaways on Fentanyl and Methamphetamine
Resources

What Makes Fentanyl and Meth a Dangerous Combination?

Fentanyl and methamphetamine are increasingly used together, though it’s not necessarily an intentional combination on the user’s part. To understand what’s driving this increased combined use, as well as the surge in fentanyl overdoses in Los Angeles and across the country, it’s important to realize why fentanyl is often added to other drugs, and the dangers this poses to people who don’t know what they’re taking.

• Illegal fentanyl is highly potent and cheap to make.
• Drug dealers often mix fentanyl with other drugs, such as heroin, meth, and cocaine, as a way of making their drugs more powerful while cutting their costs.
• However, illicit fentanyl dosages can vary widely, and just a tiny amount can lead to a fatal overdose.

A 2023 journal article researched the prevalence of fentanyl-laced drugs, finding a shocking 12-15 percent of powder meth and cocaine samples that were tested also had fentanyl. Other additives like heroin and xylazine were also commonly found in other drugs.

State and national statistics show that, more than ever, drug overdose deaths often involve fentanyl. In New York state outside of New York City, for example, there were 184 meth-involved overdose deaths in 2020. Nearly 83 percent of these deaths also involved fentanyl.

How Does Detox Work for Fentanyl and Meth Withdrawal?

Fentanyl is a highly potent drug, a synthetic opioid that causes sedative and euphoric effects in users. It’s highly addictive, and just a tiny amount can lead to a fatal overdose. Methamphetamine is a very different drug – it’s a psychoactive stimulant, with users experiencing a short-lived “rush” of energy and euphoric feelings. Like fentanyl, meth is extremely addictive. People who abuse either of these drugs will often experience significant changes to their brain chemistry, making them more and more dependent on taking these substances to feel OK.

If someone stops using these drugs, they soon begin to suffer from withdrawal symptoms that can range from uncomfortable and distressing to intolerably scary and upsetting. These symptoms, combined with strong urges and cravings to use the drug again, can quickly drive people to relapse.

In a drug detox program, patients are provided treatment for fentanyl withdrawal in Los Angeles and withdrawing from meth that help them prevent or manage the worst withdrawal symptoms. Medical support and medications are given to help patients feel comfortable and stay safe as their bodies get used to no longer having these drugs.

After a period of a few days to a couple of weeks, patients are much more physically and mentally stable, and they’re ready to focus on their comprehensive addiction treatment program to address their ties to fentanyl and methamphetamine.

What Therapies Are Used to Treat Dual Addiction?

Many therapies and interventions are common components of a drug addiction program, even when the person is addicted to multiple substances at the same time. Standard treatments include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, helps patients identify flawed, unhealthy ways of thinking and behaving and replace them with a better way of processing what’s happening around them.
• A professional therapist guides group therapy sessions to help patients connect with their peers in addiction recovery and learn from each other.
• Family therapy helps heal rifts and repair strained relationships after the damage of addiction and drug abuse.
• Medical detox programs help people stabilize and get used to no longer having the drugs in their bodies.
• Contingency management and motivational interviewing, among other types of treatments, can help people gain new coping skills and become stronger in the face of addiction and cravings.

What our customers are saying

Can You Recover From Fentanyl and Meth Addiction at the Same Time?

Quite often, patients who start getting help for something like a drug or alcohol addiction will also be struggling with some other condition. This can include mental health struggles, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. However, it can also involve being addicted to two different things at the same time. To have the best chance of recovery from their addiction, they must have both conditions treated at the same time.

Drug rehab facilities offer dual diagnosis treatment, which is specialized treatment that addresses an addiction and a mental health condition at the same time. Treating only one and ignoring the other will leave the person highly likely to relapse or return to abusing drugs to self-medicate their mental health problems.

The same problem is possible with a dual addiction. Only addressing a patient’s addiction to fentanyl while ignoring or not treating their methamphetamine addiction will not be successful. That’s why comprehensive addiction treatment programs carefully consider patients’ complete medical histories, as well as other substance abuse and mental health challenges, so their treatment plans can help them address all areas they’re struggling with at the same time.

Key Takeaways on Fentanyl and Methamphetamine

• Fentanyl and methamphetamine are both potent drugs that are highly addictive.
• Increasingly, other illegal drugs, including meth, are found to be laced with fentanyl – and it’s often used without the person even knowing it contains fentanyl.
• These two substances can quickly become dangerous and even life-threatening, especially when combined.
• Drug detox programs can help people get through withdrawal from fentanyl and meth, getting them ready and stable so they can focus on addiction treatment.
• Drug rehab programs can help people treat addictions to multiple substances at the same time.

If you or a loved one is hooked on fentanyl and methamphetamine, you’re on a dangerous road that could all too easily end in health problems, mental health struggles, and overdoses. Both drugs are highly addictive, and they’re increasingly used without the person even knowing that the drug they think they’re buying also contains fentanyl. The good news is that help is available, and it’s possible to get treatment that puts you on the road to recovery. Call Muse Treatment at 800-426-1818 today to learn how our team can help you get better.

Resources

• United States Drug Enforcement Administration – Fentanyl
• ScienceDirect – Prevalence of Fentanyl in Methamphetamine and Cocaine Samples Collected by Community-Based Drug Checking Services
• New York State Department of Health – Overdose Deaths Involving Methamphetamine With and Without Fentanyl in New York State, Outside of New York City, 2016-2020