Signs of opioid overdose include slowed or stopped breathing. If someone is experiencing an overdose, call 911 and administer naloxone. Keep the person awake and lying on their side until first responders arrive.
Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms include cold flashes and goose bumps, gastrointestinal issues and vomiting, pain in the bones and muscles, uncontrolled leg movements, severe cravings for the drug, and sleep difficulties.
Work with a licensed medical provider to explore treatment options for fentanyl dependence, which include medications and behavioral therapies.
Patients who have severe pain from advanced cancer or surgery, or who need to be medically sedated, are sometimes given pharmaceutical fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 50 times as strong as heroin and 50 to 100 times as strong as morphine.
Illicit drugs are often laced with illegally manufactured fentanyl, which carries a high risk of adverse or even fatal effects. Fentanyl is frequently used to make counterfeit prescription opioids. In addition, it can be added to virtually any drug — including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA, or even cannabis. Mixing other illicit drugs with fentanyl can make them cheaper and more addictive. There are test strips that can detect the presence of fentanyl in other drugs, but they are not 100% reliable.
If you or a loved one is dependent on fentanyl, help is available. There are behavioral therapies and medications that effectively treat opioid misuse and save lives.
Recovery is possible.
Fentanyl is an extremely potent opioid. Just the smallest amount of fentanyl — an amount equal to three grains of salt, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — can be hazardous. Sometimes referred to by dealers as Apache, Friend, or Goodfella, illicit fentanyl can be inhaled as a nasal spray, eaten in candy form, or injected with a needle. In addition, virtually any other illicit drug can have fentanyl added to it.
The drug has contributed to record numbers of drug overdose deaths. In 2021, there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the United States; most of these fentanyl or other synthetic opioids.
Someone experiencing an overdose from an opioid such as fentanyl may have small pupils, lose consciousness, breathe slowly or stop breathing, make gurgling sounds, go limp, or have cold or discolored skin. If you see these signs or symptoms, call 911 immediately and then administer naloxone if you have it. Try to keep the person awake and place them on their side so they don’t choke.
Certain risk factors make it more likely that you or a loved one could misuse or become dependent on any opioid, including fentanyl, whether the drug is prescribed by a health professional or obtained illegally. These include:
Age, lifestyle, and medical history. Dependence is more likely if you use or have used other drugs, have an untreated mental illness, or live in a situation that enables drug misuse. You may be at greater risk of overdosing on prescription opioids if you are over age 65 or have a health condition such as sleep-disordered breathing, end-organ dysfunction, or lung disease. Meanwhile, the rate of nonmedical opioid use is highest among people ages 18 to 25, and most people who misuse prescription opioids start using the drug in their early to late 20s. Prescription opioid overdose deaths occur mostly among people aged 25 to 54.
Long-term use. Using opioids for even a few days raises your risk of becoming dependent and experiencing side effects. An estimated 1 in 4 people receiving prescription opioids long term in a primary care setting become dependent, according to research summarized by the CDC.
High dosage. Taking a higher dose comes with a greater risk of dependence than taking a lower dose does, but even taking a low dose is risky, according to CDC prescribing guidelines.
Extended-release formulations. Dependence is more common with drugs that act over a longer period than with those that act more immediately, CDC guidelines say.
More than other opioids, fentanyl is associated with fatal and nonfatal overdoses. To avoid serious harm and even death, be aware of these additional risks:
Until you’ve fully recovered from opioid dependency, carry fentanyl test strips and naloxone, an over-the-counter nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose. Note that fentanyl test strips are not 100% reliable in detecting trace amounts of fentanyl in other drugs. If you suspect someone is experiencing a fentanyl overdose, call 911 and administer naloxone, if available. Keep the person awake and lying on their side until first responders arrive. Learn more.
Because fentanyl is so potent, you can easily become dependent on it. You should stop use of fentanyl under the care of a licensed medical provider, who can help you manage any withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can begin a few hours after you stop taking fentanyl and last several days. Withdrawal from pharmaceutical fentanyl, a short-acting opioid, typically does not last longer than 10 days. However, illicit fentanyl often behaves more like long-acting opioids, substances that when stopped can cause protracted withdrawal.
Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms include cold flashes and goose bumps, watery eyes, runny nose, diarrhea and vomiting, pain in the bones and muscles, uncontrolled leg movements, severe cravings for the drug, irritability, yawning, and sleep difficulties.
Opioids and the brain: Opioids such as fentanyl enter the brain and cling to cellular proteins called opioid receptors, which are found in the brain and elsewhere in the body. Our brain’s opioid system is involved in behaviors related to mood, pain, reward, and impulsivity. Opioids stimulate the brain’s reward circuits and cause a surge in dopamine, a chemical messenger that can make us feel a pleasurable “high.” This high can also make us want to take more of the drug, increasing the likelihood of using it daily and becoming dependent.
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CloseRecovery from fentanyl misuse and dependence is possible for you or your loved one. There are treatments to reduce the potential for relapse and medications to manage withdrawal systems.
Therapy: A licensed medical provider may recommend medication for addiction treatment (MAT), which combines the use of prescription drugs to alleviate withdrawal symptoms with therapies such as behavioral counseling. Studies have shown that MAT reduces opioid use and related deaths. Types of counseling to treat dependence on fentanyl and other opioids include cognitive behavioral therapy; contingency management, which assigns “points” or monetary rewards for negative drug tests; and motivational interviewing, which is a form of patient-focused counseling. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also authorized a mobile cognitive behavioral therapy app called reSET that can be used with MAT and other therapies; the app is available by prescription.
Medications: Specific FDA-approved opioid use treatments include buprenorphine (brand names include Suboxone and Subutex); methadone; and extended-release naltrexone (marketed as Vivitrol). The FDA has also approved the nonopioid treatments clonidine and lofexidine (sold under the brand names Catapres and Lucemyra, respectively) for managing opioid withdrawal. Use these medications with caution, as they can cause low blood pressure.
Recovery: Further manage your symptoms and promote your recovery by drinking a lot of water, getting plenty of exercise, and practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation.
CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, March 18, 2016
Fentanyl, Alcohol and Drug Foundation, November 10, 2021
Fentanyl, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 1, 2022
Fentanyl DrugFacts, National Institute on Drug Abuse, June 2021
Inside Fentanyl’s Mounting Death Toll: ‘This Is Poison’, The New York Times, November 22, 2021
Opioid use disorder and the brain: a clinical perspective, Addiction, 2021
Opioid withdrawal symptoms, Australian Government Department of Health, April 2021
Overdose Deaths Reached Record High as the Pandemic Spread, New York Times, Nov. 17, 2021
Prescription Opioids, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 29, 2017
Prescription Opioids and Heroin Research Report, National Institute on Drug Abuse, undated
Prevent Opioid Misuse, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nov. 20, 2020
Prevention of Opioid Overdose, New England Journal of Medicine, 2019