Fentanyl Addiction & Risks

Fentanyl is a prescription opioid used to treat severe pain from surgery, an accident, or a major injury. When a person takes fentanyl, dopamine is released, which creates feelings of pleasure and happiness. The effect of fentanyl, therefore, is two-fold – it fights pain, and it also creates relaxation. Fentanyl addiction treatment involves detox to flush the body of the toxin, an intensive, inpatient program, relapse prevention and aftercare including outpatient care.

Fentanyl Potency

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine. For this reason, overdose is highly possible with even small doses.

In 2016, 11 million Americans misused prescription opioid painkillers like fentanyl, and over 2 million had an opioid addiction or were dependent on them. Moreover, fentanyl use and abuse are increasing in the United States; fentanyl was only responsible for about 1,000 deaths between 2005 and 2007, but in 2016 fentanyl was involved in around 20,000 opioid-related overdose deaths.

Residential Inpatient Treatment for Fentanyl Misuse

The most effective fentanyl misuse treatment option is an inpatient program. These programs provide a safe environment where patients can go through detox and receive therapy. At an inpatient facility, patients remain at the center 24 hours a day until their treatment is complete, which normally takes between 30 and 90 days. During that time, patients will have supervision, structure, access to medical care, and access to further therapy, support, and programs that will help them build the foundation for lifelong recovery. The types of therapy to expect during inpatient treatment include:

• Individual therapy to help patients understand their motivations and triggers.
• Group sessions to provide patients with a strong support network of peers.
• Mediated family therapy to help loved ones work through the pain caused by addiction and aid them in how to best support their family member or loved one.
• Alternative therapies like art and hypnotherapy to help gain a better understanding of the situations that led to their addiction.
• Wellness workshops to help develop healthy lifestyles and habits
• Relapse prevention training to help stay sober after they leave treatment.

Outpatient Treatment for Fentanyl Misuse

Outpatient care is hugely beneficial in the earlier days of recovery. This is ideal for patients as a follow up to inpatient residential treatment, or for those who can’t get enough time away from work, school, and other responsibilities to commit to inpatient treatment. The main benefit of outpatient is that patients live at home during treatment, and just have to travel to the center for therapy and programs once a week.

We recommend an intensive outpatient program (IOP) before regular outpatient. IOPs include treatment 3 days a week. IOP tends to last about 3 months, and then patients can transfer to regular outpatient when they’re ready. During IOP and outpatient treatment, patients will still have access to all the same therapy options and program offerings as inpatient programs.

Types of Therapies for Fentanyl Misuse

One of the most effective treatment therapies for fentanyl misuse is cognitive behavioral therapy (an element of dialectical behavior therapy or DBT), which is a type of therapy that focuses on getting patients to recognize the negative thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that led to their misuse. Once a patient recognizes these things, he or she can work on cultivating more positive beliefs and work on being aware of how negative thoughts affect behavior. The major benefit of CBT is that it can help patients understand the motivations and reasons for their addiction, help them identify their stresses and triggers, and provide healthier and more effective coping mechanisms. This leads to better mental health overall and helps clients prevent relapses.

Futures Can Help

Futures provides holistic and evidence-based treatments, giving patients with the best possible chance of long-term recovery. This includes a full range of treatment options – inpatient, IOP, outpatient, and aftercare – and therapy types, as well as having trained and accredited therapists, mental health professionals, and staff on-site to administer expert care.

The first step in recovery is to get the information you need to make the best choices for treatment. Call Futures today to start the conversation.