What is fentanyl? Uses, misuse, and side effects

Treatment success often depends on immediate access to medical care, evidence-based addiction treatment and ongoing support systems that recognize the long-term nature of recovery. Every day of sobriety represents a victory against a substance that allows little room for error. While the Fenty Fold represents a frightening symptom of fentanyl’s devastating effects, recovery remains possible with appropriate professional support. People can and do recover from fentanyl addiction when they receive comprehensive treatment that addresses the unique challenges this substance presents. Anyone who has experienced the Fenty Fold or similar fentanyl-related symptoms needs immediate professional addiction treatment. The fact that someone has survived to this point represents an opportunity that may not come again — fentanyl’s unpredictability makes each use potentially fatal.

When a person nods off, they might lean forward, bend over, or slump as they lose the ability to maintain a proper posture. This behavior is hazardous as it can lead to falls and other injuries. After detox, clients can transition into residential addiction treatment, where therapy and relapse prevention strategies begin the long-term recovery process. Because fentanyl acts so quickly, users can slump within seconds to minutes after use. Unlike slower-acting opioids such as methadone, fentanyl’s fast spike in concentration produces a sudden collapse, often described by witnesses as a person “freezing” mid-motion.

Why This Posture Indicates Danger

Some users unknowingly consume why do fentanyl users bend over marijuana laced with fentanyl, leading to unexpected and dangerous effects. This contamination can cause severe reactions, including the bending over posture, as the powerful opioid takes effect. Users who are not accustomed to opioids may experience intense and dangerous side effects, even with small amounts.

• It is available over the counter, without a prescription at pharmacies and other stores.
• This position typically involves the person bending forward at the waist while remaining upright, often appearing frozen in place despite being conscious.
• Drug enforcers theorize that dyes may help drug traffickers avoid detection with the drugs.
• If you or a loved one is struggling with fentanyl addiction, reach out to us for help and support.
• If they become unconscious, place them in the recovery position on their side to prevent choking.

Understanding Fentanyl’s Impact on Communities

Many others survive, like Lampkin, but are left with injuries or chronic health issues that then hinder their rehabilitation. The opioid crisis has claimed more than 13,000 lives in his province since 2016. Coroners Service confirmed another 175 suspected deaths in September. That’s 10 per cent less than died in Sept. 2022, but still 5.8 drug deaths per day, with most deaths reported in Vancouver, Surrey and Greater Victoria.

Why Fentanyl Is So Dangerous

Scan the sidewalks that border the Downtown Eastside and it’s common to see residents with contorted spines, walkers and wheelchairs. Doctors will only prescribe the fentanyl patch to people who are already tolerant of opioid therapy that is similar in strength. Fentanyl can continue to be effective after removing the patch, as the skin has already absorbed the drug.

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It is also the cheapest and most potent option on the market—five dollars will buy you a high and take you out of this reality for hours. It will fold you into obliteration, erase your memory, remove you from the world and leave your limp body the only tether to it. Long-term effects are more severe and include physical dependence, mental health disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety), and increased overdose risk as tolerance builds 1. Chronic use can also lead to social and occupational dysfunction, straining relationships and livelihoods. The devastating effects of fentanyl underscore the urgency of seeking treatment.

What Does Fentanyl Do to Your Body?

Fentanyl addiction results in respiratory depression, causing dizziness and shortness of breath. Users bend over involuntarily to stabilize their core and improve their breathing. This extreme bend or fold is proof of fentanyl’s more severe impact https://ecosoberhouse.com/ on the human body than other opioids. The Chronicle also spoke to several fentanyl users about the slouch, which gives insight into how people end up using the drug on the streets. One 50-year-old user Jeff Barlow had been a school teacher and motocross racing hobbyist, and required surgery after an accident. That got him hooked on painkillers, and he’s now on the streets of SF, sometimes slouched.

If fentanyl is used by a child or an adult who has not been prescribed the medication, try to remove the medication from the person’s mouth and get emergency medical help. Many insurance plans cover inpatient rehab for fentanyl addiction, including detox and therapy. Golden Road Recovery offers inpatient, medically assisted detox and comprehensive therapy, including CBT and counseling, to address both physical and psychological aspects of addiction. Alternatively, some people may take illegally manufactured fentanyl for its heroin-like effect.

Due to the severity of fentanyl withdrawal symptoms, detox should be conducted under medical supervision. Symptoms can include intense cravings, anxiety, muscle pain, insomnia, and gastrointestinal issues. One of the most dangerous effects of fentanyl is respiratory depression. The drug significantly slows down breathing, sometimes to a life-threatening level. Reduced oxygen intake can make users feel dizzy and lightheaded, causing them to bend over as a subconscious attempt to stabilize themselves and breathe more easily.

Recognizing Fentanyl Symptoms Early

• Opioid users often describe the feeling of “nodding off”—drifting in and out of consciousness.
• Healthcare professionals will typically monitor people in this age group.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that deaths and overdoses have occurred in people using both the brand-name product Duragesic and generic transdermal fentanyl patches.

We are dedicated to providing you with the support and healing you deserve. Your sister’s widower is remarrying and it feels like a betrayal. Before you skip the wedding, read compassionate, practical strategies—talk to family, find compromises, set boundaries, and get support so you protect your grief without losing family ties. So, if lying down might cause the user to fall asleep and miss out on their high, standing—or rather, leaning—offers a crude sort of safety. The idea is that they’ll wake up if they doze off and start falling. Volkow says too little is understood about effects of multiple anoxic brain injuries — or how they could affect memory in old age.

Drug overdose is a leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Long before his fall, a previous infection in his neck vertebrae Alcoholics Anonymous had spread into his spine.For now he’s doing physio and trying to fix himself, by walking as much as he can. He says he used drugs as a kid for “comfort” to escape memories of abuse he suffered after a stranger abducted him as a child, derailing dreams he had of becoming an engineer. By the time a specialist told Lampkin that he would not be considered for spinal surgery, due to past drug use, he’d been shuffling around — bent almost in half — for more than a year and a half.

You may also notice behavioral changes, such as missing work or social obligations, lying about substance use, or withdrawing from loved ones. These emotional and social symptoms are just as important to recognize as the physical ones. This effect is deeply linked to how fentanyl impacts brain function, particularly areas responsible for movement, awareness, and vital autonomic processes like breathing and heart rate. Your brain and spinal cord are part of your central nervous system, which is impacted by fentanyl.