The Dangers of Fentanyl Abuse. Fentanyl Abuse. Abuse of High- Potency Fentanyl Skin Patches Linked to Hundreds of Deaths. By Hugh C. Mc. Bride.
A synthetic drug with a significantly greater potency than morphine has been linked to hundreds of overdoses and deaths among individuals who were using it improperly. Fentanyl, an opioid, has two primary legal uses: as an anesthetic in operating rooms and intensive care units, and as a means of easing severe pain, usually in cancer patients. When used for pain management, the drug is administered either in lozenge form or through a transdermal (skin) patch that allows for steady extended release of the medication into the bloodstream. Though not necessarily as well known as other commonly abused opioids (such as heroin, codeine, and oxycodone), fentanyl’s strength makes it an attractive substance for drug abusers. A study in the March 1. Journal of the American Medical Association noted that fentanyl’s potency can be 5. Information provided by the Ohio Resource Network for Safe & Drug Free Schools & Communities links fentanyl’s illicit appeal with its ability to provide “a day’s worth of narcotics in a single dose.” One of the many problems with that mindset is that a fentanyl patch, which is designed to slowly release the drug over a period of up to three days, may contain a dose much larger than even a hardened addict can withstand.“Because the patch is a sustained release form of the drug, if one withdraws the 7.
Chiu on chewing used fentanyl patches. Doctor insights on: Chewing Used Fentanyl Patches. If you use a fentanyl patch and use other sedatives or. I have a friend that likes to chew on the fentanyl patch,how fast does. It takes awhile to get all of it off of that patch. Plus by chewing it you don't get the. Misuse or abuse by placing it in the mouth or chewing, swallowing. Use fentanyl patch with caution in the ELDERLY; they may be more sensitive to its effects.
Fentanyl has a long history of illegal use. Each time a fentanyl patch is removed. Drug Update: Fentanyl Patch Abuse by Jon Nevin On Jul 1, 2004. EMS providers are now seeing fentanyl patch abuse.
Bruce Goldberger, Ph. D., the lead researcher of a 2. University of Florida study into fentanyl abuse, told the News- Medical online news service. Individuals who abuse fentanyl patches usually employ one of the following methods to rapidly ingest high amounts of the drug: Applying multiple patches to the body at one time. Eating or sucking on a patch. Extracting the drug from a patch, mixing it with an alcohol solution, and injecting it with a hypodermic needle. Because the drug is not completely eliminated from the patch even after a three- day period of use, discarded patches remain a sought- after commodity by some abusers, and can pose a risk to young children who may come into contact with them.
To prevent both intentional and accidental misuse, health professionals urge approved fentanyl users to be sure to properly dispose of their used patches. As Dr. Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, wrote in an advisory message posted on the NIDA website, “Fentanyl’s superior potency makes it a good medication for pain and a good target for abuse. And while it may not be as familiar as other prescription opiates or street drugs like heroin, it is causing a wave of overdoses and deaths.”In July 2.
U. S. Food and Drug Administration responded to reports of hundreds of fentanyl- related deaths by issuing a public health advisory regarding the use of fentanyl skin patches. Noting that it continued to receive reports of fatal and near- fatal responses to improper use of the patches, the FDA released a Dec. The fentanyl patch contains . It is only intended for treating persistent, moderate to severe pain in patients who are opioid- tolerant, meaning those patients who take a regular, daily, around- the- clock narcotic pain medicine. According to a fact sheet provided by the University of Florida, the drug was responsible for 3.
In Aiken County, S. C., the Aiken Standard reported that between January 2. May 2. 00. 8, 1. 1 county residents died as a direct result of “either injecting, scraping, chewing or even overloading on fentanyl pain patches.” The paper quoted Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton as noting that scraping a patch and injecting it with a solvent “amounts to taking 4. But individuals who willingly abuse the drug are not the only ones who have suffered fentanyl- related consequences. In May 2. 00. 8, a foster mother in New York City was arrested after giving a fatal dose of fentanyl to a child in her care.
According to The New York Times, Joanne Alvarez put a fentanyl patch on the neck of her 6- year- old foster daughter after the girl complained of a headache, then sent the child to bed. The next day, a relative discovered that the girl was not breathing. The child was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.“The mother gave the child Motrin and also put one of these . For this reason, health professionals and other experts are not calling for fentanyl to be banned, but rather are advocating increased awareness to enhance the public’s understanding of the proper application, use, and disposal of the drug. As Pat Clarke of the FDA said in a podcast posted on the agency’s website, “Healthcare professionals who prescribe the fentanyl transdermal system, or fentanyl patch, should be fully aware of all the prescribing information and should instruct patients on the proper use of the fentanyl patch.”Start your recovery today by searching for treatment centers below. Or call 8. 77- 6.