While fentanyl can be an effective and important medication when used appropriately under medical supervision, it is associated with a high risk of overdose and dependence, especially when misused, and can lead to fentanyl addiction. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl has become a significant public health concern and contributes to a rise in overdose deaths.
The potency of fentanyl makes it particularly dangerous, and even a small amount can cause a life-threatening overdose. Public health efforts aim to raise awareness about the risks of fentanyl misuse, improve access to overdose reversal medications like naloxone, and address the larger issues related to opioid misuse and addiction. It is important to recognize the symptoms of fentanyl withdrawal in order to get people the fentanyl addiction rehab they need.
Healing Begins Here
How is Fentanyl Addiction Treated?
In a medication-assisted treatment program, individuals receive medications to help them stop using a drug. These medications help manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms, eventually helping you wean off addictive substances, such as fentanyl. In a MAT program in Portland, your doctor may put you on a tapering schedule to gradually eliminate fentanyl from your system. Doctors often put fentanyl users on another, less-potent opioid, such as methadone. The idea is to keep some opioids in the system to lower the severity of fentanyl withdrawal symptoms.
Medical professionals reduce the dosage of the opioid by 20%-50% each day. Eventually, this will reduce to nothing. This is done until your body starts adjusting to an absence of the opioid and withdrawal symptoms are manageable.
Your doctor will design the tapering schedule based on factors such as the:
- Level of dependency
- Presence or absence of co-occurring disorders
- Duration of dependency
- Existence of polysubstance use
After a medical detox from fentanyl, attending therapy for fentanyl addiction can help resolve the underlying causes of the opioid addiction and help learn relapse-prevention skills. Fentanyl detox is essential to end opioid dependency, and pairing this with residential or outpatient treatment and therapy can help individuals stay clean.
In therapy for fentanyl addiction, individuals discuss their thoughts and behaviors that led to and were caused by fentanyl abuse. In Portland, Oregon, Crestview Recovery offers individual, group, and family therapy for addiction.
Fentanyl Withdrawal
When an individual stops fentanyl use, they may experience symptoms, such as:
- Flu-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, or watery eyes
- Gastrointestinal issues, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps
- Muscle and joint pain
- Sweating
- Chills or goosebumps
- Increased heart rate
- Elevated blood pressure
- Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, restlessness, and fatigue
- Respiratory symptoms like constant yawning
- Dilated pupils
An individual may also experience psychological symptoms when quit using fentanyl and other opioids. These withdrawal symptoms include:
- Mood changes like having anxiety, being irritable, feeling depressed, or having mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Confusion
- Intense drug cravings
- Vivid dreams or nightmares
- Social withdrawal
- Difficulty coping with stress
- Heightened sensitivity to light, sound, or touch
- Emotional dysregulation
Understanding the fentanyl withdrawal timeline can guide individuals through the various phases and assist them in adopting effective coping strategies for both physical and psychological symptoms. The fentanyl withdrawal timeline varies among users, but certain patterns are generally observed:
- Onset of Withdrawal: Withdrawal symptoms typically commence 12 to 30 hours after the last fentanyl dose. For those using fentanyl patches (a long-acting medication), withdrawal may initiate within 24 hours of patch removal.
- Early Signs of Withdrawal: Early withdrawal signs include muscle aches, anxiety, and sleeplessness.
- Peak Symptoms: The peak of withdrawal symptoms occurs two to four days after the last dosage. During this phase, individuals often experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal discomfort.
- Duration of Physical Symptoms: Physical symptoms of fentanyl withdrawal generally subside within a week.
- Transition to Post-Acute Withdrawal: Following the physical withdrawal, individuals enter the post-acute withdrawal stage characterized by psychological symptoms.
- Post-Acute Withdrawal Stage: This stage can last for several months up to two years. Symptoms include disturbed sleep, irritability, mood swings, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.
- Risk of Relapse: There is a heightened risk of relapse during the post-acute fentanyl withdrawal period. Learning self-care strategies from our master therapists can assist in managing cravings and maintaining progress in the recovery journey.
- Aftercare Support: Our post-rehab aftercare plan is tailored to individual needs, providing ongoing support for sobriety. Especially crucial for those returning to stressful living environments, aftercare helps reinforce the lessons learned in rehabilitation.
How To Avoid the Risk of Fentanyl Overdose
Don’t put your life in jeopardy. Get in touch with Crestview Recovery to receive a customized treatment plan combining addiction therapy services such as:
- Group therapy
- Life skills rehab
- Trauma therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Mindfulness meditation therapy
We look forward to helping you move forward with recovery to create a new life.
