Welcome to our Eleven 11 Recovery blog where we talk about drugs and recovery. Today’s post of the week is on Fentanyl. If you have a child on Fentanyl, a loved one on Fentanyl or you yourself are on this drug, then you have come to the right place. We will teach you all about this drug that is deadly, and you will learn a lot from reading this blog. So please share it on social platforms and send this link to your friends so that more lives can be saved because that is why we wrote this blog.
What Does Fentanyl Look Like?
If you have watched that awesome TV series Dope on Netflix, you will see that Fentanyl is a powder that many dealers mix with their Heroin or package by themselves. So, the consistency of Fentanyl then, is very powdery, much like a crushed tablet. Fentanyl’s original color is white, and it looks kind of like this:
Again, Fentanyl can take many forms and colors so not all Fentanyl will be plain white and powdery. It can be off-white, brown, and even be in tablet form and be even be multi-colored. So, if you are wondering if your child or loved one is taking Fentanyl, or if what you have is pure Fentanyl, the only way to know is to have it tested in a lab or with test kits. Certain needle exchanges around you may provide this test, so be sure to contact a nearby clinic and see if they do. Recoveries such as ours also can have Fentanyl tests done in a certified laboratory so if you are our client, we will have those done for you.
The Origin of Fentanyl
We know Fentanyl is very popular right now, but this synthetic opioid has been around since the 1960’s. It was initially used for surgery and still is being used in surgery today during IV anesthesia. Since this pain-killer drug is almost fifty times more powerful than Heroin and a hundred times stronger than Morphine, only a little needs to be used to completely knock a person out for surgery. Now keep in mind that in hospitals, healthcare professionals have standard procedures they follow relative to using this powerful drug. However, on the street, this drug is not at all regulated and even the dealers admit on that Netflix show that they don’t know how much they are putting in. In fact, the dealers even stated, if a batch kills one of their clients, it’s a good batch and will be popular to drug addicts which they lovingly call “Fiends.” Netflix example aside, Fentanyl use can cause serious problems and even death. If you or a loved one needs to get off Fentanyl, then contact us today.
When did Fentanyl Use Become So Popular on the Streets?
entanyl as we mentioned before has been around for a long time, and it was regulated to be used only for hospitals. However, in the 1990’s all this changed. At the time, because of the medical complications that patients got from their prescribed pain-relievers, a transdermal skin patch for Fentanyl was invented. Transdermal means going through to the skin. Now a trend took off and other forms of the drug began getting developed. Hence in the 90’s lozenges, tablets and sprays came about. Please refer later to this source below if you want to see the full diagram: Full Medical PDF by Theodore H. Stanley from the American Pain Society
So now, as the drug got more accessible, criminals took notice. They began to see the opportunity in mixing Fentanyl, making their own brand tablets with different colors and distributing them on the streets. This practice led to what we call the Fentanyl analog market and then the death rate increased. So, from 1999 to 2011, the mortality rate from opioid analgesics now increased four times and from 2013 it got much higher. It was around 2013 that street dealers started to lace pills that they sold because they knew how addictive it was; and this increased the overdose rate significantly. If you want to have in-depth information, be sure to visit the CDC and Nida websites later. Fentanyl is dangerous; no doubt about it. If you or someone you love is struggling with Fentanyl, now is the time to give us a call.
Fentanyl Overdose? How to Treat it
If you see a loved one overdosing on Fentanyl, call 911 first. I am sure you are wondering; how would I know if someone is overdosing on Fentanyl? Not to worry, keep reading because in the next paragraph we will cover that. The first step to take when someone is overdosing on Fentanyl is to administer a nasal spray called Narcan. Pharmacies carry Narcan, and if someone is watching over the overdosing individual, you may be able to drive nearby and get it. When overdosing on Fentanyl it’s a race for time. Who will get to help the individual get relief before he/she dies. Would it be 911 or you? Again, 911 knows best how to handle emergencies but if you have Narcan handy, you may want to use it. If the individual is overdosing on Fentanyl or an opioid, Narcan can save their life for the next 30-90 minutes. Be sure to google Narcan later and find which pharmacies carry it and more information about it if someone you know likes to use Fentanyl, because you just may be able to save their life. If you know of someone who likes to use this drug, or if you use it yourself and want to get off of it, contact us today.
What Fentanyl Overdose Looks Like
Ok, here is the scary part and the symptoms of what a Fentanyl overdose looks like. First, it is important to know that a Fentanyl overdose can stop you from breathing. Symptoms of a Fentanyl overdose may show the following:
- Pin-sized pupils
- Nodding off to sleep, completely falling asleep or passed out
- -Barely any breathing or zero breathing
- Choking noises or gurgling
- A limp body
- Cold clammy skin and sweats
- Lip, nail and skin discoloration
Fentanyl Facts. CDC Government Website.(2024, April 4).
If someone you know is taking Fentanyl and is showing these symptoms, call 911 and use the Narcan on them immediately. Just know that according to the 911 Good Samaritan law which a friend of ours helped pass, you can report an overdose even if you were partying with the person, and you won’t be arrested. So, if you are hesitant to report an overdose because you are worried that you would get in trouble with the law, now you know you can report it. If you know someone who uses Fentanyl and would like to save them from an overdose, contact us.
What Rainbow Fentanyl is
Dealers are businesspeople in their own right, and so they got creative and came up with rainbow colored Fentanyl. Why? Because they want to be trendy and attract the younger generation to get them hooked. So, if you want to know what rainbow Fentanyl looks like, it looks like something like this with the dealer’s brand on it:
It can have a symbol, number or a letter to represent their drug dealing business, because of course, infamous dealers are proud of selling powerful people killing drugs and like to brand their product. Their brand then hits the streets and becomes known through grass-roots word of mouth promotion from user to user. The stronger the Fentanyl, the higher the experienced user who built a tolerance to it gets, and the quicker a novice user dies. The dealers do not seem to care how many people overdose because that is not their concern. Safety for the addicted is never a dealer’s concern. Their only concern is getting caught by law enforcement. If you see something that looks like smarties candies in strange places, like in someone’s wallet wrapped in foil, or in a pocket, desk or public bathroom, do not touch it with your bare hands and certainly Do Not Smell it! Exposure from accidental inhalation of Fentanyl has been proven to show effects in minutes. Even dealers use durable industrial gloves while handling it. Instead, take a photo of it as proof if you need proof, and contact us today!
How much is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl on the streets costs about $10 to $20 a pill. It’s cheap because it is man-made. Dealers make millions of US dollars selling 1 Kilogram of Fentanyl. This is why they keep selling it. It is financially life-changing for them. Just like the rest of us run law-abiding legitimate businesses, dealers run their own wholesale or retail business. Sometimes it is family-operated and run and even passed down from generation to generation. Go to the Premier Biotech website for the full diagram and details.
Fentanyl is highly addictive and dealers love selling this cheap-to-make, easy revenue building drug to as many people as they can. Their concern is how much money they make because drug-dealing is a business, and they risk their lives and know what their consequences are for selling it. So, if you think that your dealer is your friend? He is not, and he is not trust-worthy, and he does not care about your well-being. His only concern is how much money he can make off of you. Of course, dealers are both male and female, but you get the point.
Does Touching Fentanyl Kill You Instantly?
Dealers think it does, and that is why they wear heavy gloves and wear heavy-duty masks while handling it. But according to the co-medical director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Health, and the CDC, Fentanyl takes a long time to seep into your skin. However, if you touch your nose with it, accidentally inhale it or even accidentally lick the powder, it can affect you quicker. So, the best advice to give you here is Do Not Touch it! If you or a loved one is affected by Fentanyl use, call us today!
Cultivating Health. (2023, June 4). Fentanyl facts, overdose signs to look for, and how you can help save a life. cultivating-health.
Fentanyl Usage in California
Fentanyl use is prevalent in California and according to the Cal Matters diagram we looked at, more locals have died from overdoses than from car accidents here. There have been almost 7000 Opioid deaths in the year 2022 alone, and around 6000 of them were from Fentanyl. During this time, there were over 21000 Opioid related emergency visits, and almost 7800 Fentanyl visits. Patients were mostly male, and the majority were of Native-American Indian descent, followed by Black/African American and then White. No matter what the race, or societal stature, Fentanyl can affect all of us that use it. It is highly dangerous and is quite simply a death sentence. Do not be tricked into using Fentanyl and if you have a prescription addiction and cannot get any more meds, avoid the streets! Street drugs are not regulated, and once you get hooked, it is not easy to get off of it. If you are addicted and need help or have a loved one that is, contact us immediately so we can help turn your life around and or save a life.
Ibarra, A. B. (2023, July 26). Opioid crisis: Big increase in CA fentanyl overdoses – CalMatters. CalMatters.
What the Government is Doing About Fentanyl
Fentanyl quite literally can make a mentally and physically healthy and vibrant individual into a crippling zombie resembling much like the walking dead. It is incredibly addictive and will lead to mental health issues, homelessness and jail or prison time. The DEA is working hard daily to take Fentanyl off the streets and in 2023, Governor Newsom launched an Opioids California government website. This website has a ton of opioid resources available for Californians. It shows penalties imposed for drug trafficking to scare off potential new dealers and offers information. Through this website, you may be able to get access to tests, and support services. If you or someone you care about is suffering from Fentanyl addiction, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We come from a recovery background and as such we were all former addicts. Therefore, neither you nor who you would like to refer will be judged. What you will find with us at Eleven 11 Recovery is a place of love and healing where our mission is to help you overcome your problems and help you thrive. Become the best person you can be. Call us today.
Opioid. (n.d.). California’s opioid response.
