Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid – 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, which is known for its addictive potential. It works by blocking pain signals from traveling along the nerves to the brain. It is typically prescribed to treat patients with severe pain or to manage pain after surgery. Some users will seek out fentanyl due to its relaxing effects, while others will seek out other drugs and unintentionally use fentanyl. This is because fentanyl is often laced in other drugs like heroin, which causes a large number of overdose deaths. Fentanyl has the potential to be so fatal that it accounts for 59% of all opiate-related deaths, so seeking immediate treatment for fentanyl addiction is crucial.

About Our Medical Detox Center

A detox is the first step on the journey to recovery. Fentanyl is an opiate that causes high physical dependency for its users, so detoxing without medical supervision is often dangerous for the patient. The uncomfortable symptoms that fentanyl withdrawal brings, like joint and muscle pain, stomach aches, anxiety, tremors, cravings, flu-like symptoms and sweating, are a major reason that many continue to use. We know these symptoms are not pleasant, and we provide nothing but care and support to those experiencing them. Our detox center takes a three-stage approach to care: evaluation, stabilization and transition. During the evaluation stage, the patient will arrive at our rehab center and will be evaluated for their vitals, symptoms and medical history. The patient will be asked questions about their drug usage, and will be met with understanding rather than judgment. During the stabilization stage, the team will continue to check the patients’ vitals and monitor their neurological status to ensure they are not experiencing delirium, seizures or dangerously high blood pressure. Lastly, our transition stage will get the patients on the road to sobriety, and give them the tools they need to maintain it.

Benefits of Seeking Medical Assistance for a Fentanyl Detox

Because fentanyl is a type of opiate, the benefits the patient experiences will be quite similar to the benefits of an opiate detox. However, these are some unique benefits that our fentanyl detox program specifically can provide:

• Safety during the detoxification process.

Fentanyl is a particularly dangerous drug, and detoxification is not to be taken lightly. We will take all of the necessary precautions to ensure that the patients’ detox experience is as safe as possible, and work to eliminate withdrawal symptoms.

• Addressing co-occurring mental health disorders.

Co-occurring mental health conditions affect 8.9 million yearly. Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl are the most common drugs responsible for drug overdose in the United States. This means that many of our patients are struggling with a potentially undiagnosed mental illness. Treating the illness itself and providing them with the resources to help manage it over the long-term will allow the patients to make sense of their habits and begin to view their lives through a fresh, improved lens.

• Regaining control of one’s own life.

Fentanyl has highly sedating effects. It can make users feel drowsy, overly relaxed, unable to breathe properly, unable to gain an appetite and nauseated. Experiencing these symptoms regularly, followed by the overwhelming urge to use and feel them again, can make an individual feel like they have lost control of their own life. While some may view a rehab center as a surrendering of that control, it is the opposite. Mount Sinai Wellness Center is a temporary space that provides the support needed for long-term success, and long-term control of one’s life.