Understanding and Getting Off One of the Most Potent Opioids
Fentanyl Addiction Treatment: How to Overcome This Potent Opioid
Fentanyl addiction treatment is more vital than ever as the drug continues to cause crises throughout the United States. Although fentanyl can be prescribed by licensed medical professionals to manage pain after major surgeries, the drug is highly addictive and can be life threatening.
As most illegal drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine are contaminated with fentanyl, the risk of overdose has increased significantly. With synthetic opioids like fentanyl causing nearly 70% of overdose-related deaths in 2023, seeking treatment for fentanyl addiction is incredibly important and can be a lifesaving decision.
Finding fentanyl addiction treatment in North Carolina at Tree House Recovery can help clients or loved ones experiencing substance abuse find the help and treatment they need to prevent the risks that come with this dangerous substance.
If you are looking for a fentanyl addiction recovery program or want to learn more about one, Tree House Recovery’s admissions team is ready to help you now.
What Does Treatment for Fentanyl Addiction Look Like?
If you are wondering, “Is fentanyl addictive?” The simple answer is “yes.”
Like most synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs like heroin and morphine, fentanyl binds to the brain’s opioid receptors and can create a feeling of euphoria, sedation, and drowsiness in the user. After multiple uses, the brain adapts and starts to build a dependency on the drug, diminishing its sensitivity to the effects of fentanyl.
One of the signs of fentanyl addiction is an increased use of the synthetic opioid, which can increase a person’s risk of an overdose. A fentanyl overdose can be fatal since a person’s breathing can slow down or stop, and oxygen struggles to reach the brain. This can put the person into a coma and cause permanent brain damage or death.
Ending fentanyl addiction is not an easy thing to do alone. Because of the drug’s potency, people can form a dependency or a substance use disorder with fentanyl. That’s why it is vital to seek fentanyl addiction treatment near you to eliminate the risks and lead a healthy, sober life.
Tree House Recovery is here to help you find:
- Detox programs
- Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs)
- Intense outpatient programs (IOPs)
- Aftercare
Fentanyl Detox
Starting your recovery journey begins with detoxification. Tree House Recovery’s fentanyl detox aims to help men and women start their recovery journey by supporting them through the withdrawal process.
Detoxing will look different for each person, so our trained staff works with each client to create a detox program that prepares them for a tailored treatment program.
Our admissions team can help you or someone you know find a medically assisted detox near you today.
Inpatient Fentanyl Addiction Treatment
For some people struggling with substance use disorders, inpatient programs are the best treatment for fentanyl addiction. Because addiction recovery takes time, effort, and skill building, inpatient programs are ideal for people trying to end their addiction and find tools and methods to prevent relapsing.
Outpatient Fentanyl Rehab
Outpatient rehab programs are ideal for people who must continue going to work or school or are ready to continue living their lives while developing the tools and skills needed to continue a sober lifestyle.
Fentanyl PHP
Tree House Recovery’s inpatient fentanyl addiction treatment program is a PHP, which allows clients to return home after a structured day of working on their mental, social, and physical health, giving clients the time to put their newly developed skills into practice.
Our addiction treatment program, led by skilled staff members who want to help clients develop the social, mental, and physical strength to curb cravings and maintain a healthy, happier lifestyle, takes a holistic approach that focuses on you and your recovery.
The inpatient fentanyl addiction treatment includes:
- Meditation therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Individual and group therapy
- Fitness classes
Each of these treatments is evidence-based and led by a skilled staff that wants to help clients graduate and see the positive and empowering changes in their lives.
Fentanyl IOP
Similar to our PHP, Tree House Recovery has a fentanyl IOP designed to work with clients’ lifestyles. These evening classes, which take place over 90 days, help people develop skills through evidence-based treatment with a holistic approach.
Some of the life skills clients develop in our IOP include:
- Self-discipline
- Self-awareness
- Self-motivation
- Conflict resolution
- Relationship skills
- Self-care
- Healthy lifestyle skills
Fentanyl OP
Tree House Recovery specializes in PHPs and IOPs that work for people who want holistic treatment while addressing their mental health concerns. But there is another type of fentanyl rehab: standard outpatient programs (OPs).
Fentanyl OPs are less frequent than IOPs but can include many of the same features of an IOP.
Aftercare for Fentanyl Addiction
Graduating from a fentanyl rehab program is a significant recovery milestone. However, some may need additional support after rehab to ensure the skills and tools developed at Tree House Recovery stay sharp.
Tree House Recovery offers additional aftercare for clients taking part in the fentanyl addiction treatment program to help clients continue living a substance-free life. Because sobriety looks different for everyone, our rehab aftercare is flexible and works with clients to maintain the life they worked so hard for.
Aftercare options for fentanyl addiction depend on the person’s circumstances but may include the following:
- In-person check-ins
- Remote check-ins over the phone or video call
- Smartphone apps designed to promote sobriety
- Re-enrolling in a formal rehab program
- Attending a mutual self-help group
- Enrolling in an alum recovery program
Addiction aftercare programs available through Tree House Recovery offer many benefits, including promoting and preserving the hard work you have done to reach this recovery milestone.
Benefits of Fentanyl Addiction Recovery
Tree House Recovery focuses on the mind, body, and social aspects of recovery — all the ingredients needed to live a healthy, sober, and fulfilling life.
Physical Benefits
Addiction rewires the brain and the body. Tree House Recovery’s fentanyl addiction recovery program helps clients reconnect with their bodies through fitness therapy. This will help strengthen your body, but working out can help balance your hormones and release natural endorphins that help manage stress and cravings.
Working out can also help the mind and body by improving self-confidence, establishing a healthy routine, and promoting a supportive community.
Mental Benefits
Through mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), which builds on cognitive therapy (CT), Tree House Recovery’s mindfulness meditation helps clients observe their internal body. Examining thoughts and feelings is part of the healing journey to understanding oneself and learning the healthy habits that promote a sober lifestyle.
Social Benefits
Relationships are essential when traveling down the road to recovery. At Tree House Recovery, no one has to make that journey alone.
With the support of our skill team, families, and the other clients in the program, Tree House Recovery mission is to help people build supportive relationships, combat isolation that is often associated with addiction, navigate social situations without relying on substances, and create a positive network that encourages personal growth and sobriety.
These skills are developed through group therapy, exercise therapy, and other group activities that encourage community growth.
How to Find the Best Treatment for Fentanyl Addiction in North Carolina
Tree House Recovery NC is here to help you or your loved ones find the best treatment for fentanyl addiction when they are ready to start the recovery journey. Every person’s experience with fentanyl and addiction is different, so there will be various resources and treatments that may work better for one person and not for another.
It is essential when researching fentanyl addiction treatments to look at what the treatments will look like, the length of treatment, and how the success rates are measured and clearly communicated.
Local Resources
With fentanyl and other synthetic opioids being the cause of 70% of fatal overdoses in 2022, seeking help for a fentanyl addiction can be a lifesaving choice.
There is a list of resources available to you or your loved one to find immediate help. You can also call Tree House Recovery NC to find local help for fentanyl addiction recovery resources near you.
How Our Fentanyl Rehab Can Help
Our admission team understands that recovery looks different for each individual struggling with addiction, which is why we are here to help you find the best treatment that aligns with your needs.
While Tree House Recovery NC will soon offer a detox program for substance use disorders, our treatment center currently provides holistic, evidence-based rehabs and IOP, as well as an alumni and aftercare program, to help people gain the knowledge, skills, and support they need to maintain sobriety and enjoy living life again.
Tree House Recovery also offers PHPs at our treatment centers in Portland, OR, Orange County, CA, and Nashville, TN.
We also offer a family program for those with loved ones struggling with addiction. Our program’s goal is to help you create the boundaries that will help your loved one without unknowingly enabling their addiction and how to create a strong support system for them once they are in or graduated from an addiction treatment program.
Tree Recovery Fentanyl Addiction Treatment Center in NC
Addiction is powerful and can be difficult to fight, but no one should go through the recovery journey alone. Tree House Recovery’s programs in North Carolina are ready to help anyone experiencing substance use disorder or fentanyl addiction with the help they need to start living life again.
If you or your loved one is ready to find help for fentanyl addiction, contact Tree House Recovery NC at (910) 812-1728 or online.
What is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid that was developed to manage pain. It’s typically used to treat severe pain post-surgery as well as chronic pain. It is one of the most potent opioids and is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine [1]. This prescription drug is highly addictive and can even be deadly. It is currently legal to produce in the U.S. for medical use. However, it is also produced and sold illegally as a recreational drug because of its heroin-like effects and strength. Because it is so much stronger than heroin, it has been a major cause of the increase in opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. There is a clear need for fentanyl addiction treatment in North Carolina and beyond. If you’re looking for substance abuse treatment, call Tree House Recovery at 910-812-1728 today.
Fentanyl Quiz:
If you suspect you or someone might be addicted to fentanyl, try our free quiz.
Fentanyl is a Schedule II narcotic [1].
This means it is currently considered to have an acceptable medical use, has a high abuse potential, and using it can lead to severe mental or physical dependence.
Narcotic Analgesic [2].
Where Does Fentanyl Come From?
Fentanyl was created by Dr. Paul Janssen in 1959 and patented by his company Janssen Pharmaceuticals [3]. As a potent narcotic analgesic (pain reliever), it has been widely used in medical settings to manage chronic and extreme pain post-surgery. In addition, it is often used to reduce pain for cancer patients. Unfortunately, it also creates euphoric and mood-elevating effects like other opioids and is often abused.
As one of the most addictive substances, fentanyl is widely sold illegally. So, where does all this street fentanyl come from? Most of today’s street fentanyl is illegally synthesized in labs throughout the world. However, legally produced fentanyl is also a common source [3].
Fentanyl Video
Tree House addiction counselor Rob Mo explains the signs and symptoms of fentanyl use, withdrawal symptoms, how it is used, and what to expect in fentanyl addiction treatment.
What Does Fentanyl Look Like?
In its raw powder form, it is shades of off-white to light brown. But, fentanyl is a hard drug to spot because it is typically cut into other street drugs to add to their potency. If it has been added to white drugs like meth or cocaine, you may see some brown spots.
Fentanyl has been increasingly added to counterfeit prescription benzo and opioid drugs like Xanax and oxycodone as well as street drugs like ecstasy to add to their euphoric effects. Again, this can be hard to spot, but you may find discoloration or flaws in the identifying marks on the drugs. The best way to know if a drug has been cut with fentanyl is to use a fentanyl test strip.
Fentanyl Potency
Fentanyl is one of the most potent opioids. It is 50 times stronger than heroin [1] and up to 100 times stronger than morphine [2].
How Is Fentanyl Used?
If prescribed by a doctor, there are three ways fentanyl can be taken. It can be injected directly into the blood, absorbed into the skin through a patch, or absorbed orally in a lozenge form. Legally and illegally manufactured fentanyl are both abused. When used and abused for recreation, it is taken in several ways. The illegally made fentanyl is typically made as a powder, blotted on paper, put in eye droppers or nasal sprays, or pressed into pills [6].
However, It is primarily cut into other drugs like heroin, meth, or cocaine, and it can also be pressed into MDMA pills. Making fentanyl is cheap, and adding it to other drugs reduces their cost. Unfortunately, the added fentanyl increases the risk of overdose when people take drugs unknowingly mixed with fentanyl. Our fentanyl rehab center in North Carolina can make a difference for those who are ready to break free of fentanyl addiction and reduce the risk of an overdose.
Dangers of Fentanyl:
Fentanyl Overdose Rates:
Currently, opioids—73% of which are synthetic—are the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States. In 2019, overdose deaths increased by 4% compared to 2018—there were 70,630 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. Opioids were involved in 71% of 2019’s overdose death count in 2019, or 49,860 deaths [8].
For more information on Fentanyl and Heroin
Fentanyl vs Heroin Overdose:
Signs of Fentanyl Abuse
Physical Signs:
Like other opioids, some physical signs of fentanyl abuse are small “pinned” pupils and unexpected drowsiness. Opioid drowsiness, aka “nodding out,” is easy to spot. For example, you might find someone falling or nodding off mid-sentence. A drop in weight and opioid withdrawal symptoms and side effects are also signs of use [1].
Changes in Behavior
Opioids cause a high level of euphoria for most people who abuse them. So you might see random shifts of extreme happiness. Some other behaviors to look out for are a loss of energy, little appetite, mood swings, and memory problems [6]. If your loved one is exhibiting these behaviors and you suspect opioid abuse, it’s time to take action through a fentanyl addiction treatment center.
Side Effects of Fentanyl
You can also look for some of the side effects of fentanyl use if you think someone may be abusing the drug. These include:
- Confusion
- Constipation
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Euphoria
- Nausea
- Pain relief
- Sedation
- Tolerance
- Relaxation
- Respiratory depression and arrest
- Unconsciousness
- Urinary retention
Common Names for Fentanyl
Like most commonly abused drugs, fentanyl goes by many different names on the street. Depending on where you are in the U.S., the nicknames may vary. Below is a list of some of the most common street names. If you hear someone using these names, it could be a sign that they are abusing fentanyl.
Fentanyl Street Names
- Apace
- China Girl
- China Town
- China White
- Dance Fever
- Fetti
- Goodfella
- Great Bear
- He-Man
- Murder 8
- Poison
- Tango & Cash
- TNT
Fentanyl Brand Names
- Actiq® “lollipops” oral transmucosal lozenges
- Sublimaze® Injection
- Fentora™ effervescent buccal tablets
- Abstral® sublingual tablet
- Subsys™ sublingual spray
- Lazanda® nasal spray
- Duragesic® transdermal fentanyl patch
Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptoms
One reason fentanyl is so addictive is that withdrawal symptoms start a few hours after it is taken. Withdrawal symptoms are painful for those who are dependent on this substance. These symptoms include [1] [6]:
- Cold flashes
- Diarrhea
- Intense cravings
- Leg spasms
- Muscle and bone pain
- Sleep problems
- Vomiting
Fentanyl Detox
Our Fentanyl Addiction Treatment Program in North Carolina
There are three phases required to treat fentanyl addiction successfully. Phase one is medical detox. Phase two is an addiction treatment program. Finally, phase three is aftercare with an individualized maintenance plan.
Fentanyl Medical Detox
It’s important to understand that the medical detox environment is the safest and most effective place to start the recovery process. Fentanyl, like other opioids, comes with a very uncomfortable physical detox. As a result, the likelihood of relapse without medical detox support dramatically increases. Another vital thing to know is that detox is about physical stabilization. It will help you deal with physical dependence, not the root cause of the addiction. Therefore it is critical that a quality addiction treatment program immediately follows detox.
Fentanyl Addiction Treatment
Once the detox phase is complete and you are physically stable, you need to address the root causes of the addiction. Our fentanyl addiction treatment center in North Carolina offers an integrative and evidence-based approach to addiction treatment. SUDs impact three areas of health, and they all need to be brought back to an optimized level. These include:
- Biological health – The most effective rehabs have a fitness component.
- Mental health – Trauma, internal conflict, and self-understanding are vital.
- Social health – Repairing and learning to build strong, healthy relationships is critical for sustained happiness and lasting sobriety.
Aftercare
Armed with a sustainable maintenance plan from your time in our fentanyl addiction treatment program, good aftercare support will reinforce a strong foundation for recovery. Effective aftercare plans and programs include a focus on physical, mental, and social health.
Through aftercare, you’ll be able to:
- Maintain peer connections
- Maintain physical health
- Maintain a personal growth plan
Author
Robert Funk: Addiction Writer
Author
Derek Swain: Addiction Writer
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl#:~:text=has%20been%20added.-,Fentanyl%20works%20by%20binding%20to%20the%20body’s%20opioid%20receptors%2C%20which,unconsciousness%2C%20coma%2C%20and%20death
- https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling
- https://www.newsmedical.net/health/Fentanyl-History.aspx#:~:text=Fentanyl%20was%20first%20prepared%20and,adopted%20in%20the%20medical%20setting
- http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/sapc/managepainsafely/docs/Fentanyl%20FINAL.pdf?pdf=fentanyl
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537482/table/appannex6.tab2/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308156#side-effects
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl
- https://www.npr.org/2021/12/30/1069062738/more-than-a-million-americans-have-died-from-overdoses-during-the-opioid-epidemic