Detoxing from fentanyl is a necessarily step if you want to overcome your opioid use disorder (OUD). However, many people hope they can skip the detox stage because it is daunting. Understandably, individuals have to undergo withdrawal symptoms during detox, which are uncomfortable, painful, and discouraging. It is because of withdrawal symptoms that many people stay trapped in their addictions. Similarly, ongoing withdrawal like cravings causes many to relapse back into drug abuse. Fentanyl is one especially strong drug that brings about unavoidable withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit. Thus, you’re probably wondering how to detox from fentanyl in a way that is successful and safe. The answer is medical detox support, which provides the tools and equipment to get you through detox as comfortably as possible. We provide professional detox at Royal Life Centers to place our guests on the path of successful opioid withdrawal and detox.
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a lab-made synthetic opioid drug. It can be purchased as powder, pills, or nasal sprays. Commonly, fentanyl pills imitate other prescription medications but contain only lethal doses of fentanyl. Opioids are used medically for pain relief in cases of acute and chronic pain, including surgery and cancer pain. As a Schedule II Controlled Substance, fentanyl prescriptions are closely monitored and limited to severe cases. It is possible to be administered fentanyl medically. However, the majority of fentanyl use is due to illicit recreational use to get a high. When fentanyl is misused, it is likely to lead to fast-acting addiction because of how potent this substance is on the body. Side effects of fentanyl abuse include euphoria, relaxation, and numbing of pain. But undeniably, the short-term effects are not worth the lifelong addiction you can develop. Once you’ve become dependent on fentanyl (called opioid use disorder, or OUD), you won’t be able to overcome fentanyl use disorder on your own.
Is Fentanyl Addictive?
Yes, fentanyl is a highly addictive substance that traps thousands of people in a chronic state of drug dependency each year. Without a doubt, fentanyl is an extremely strong drug. It is roughly 80 times more potent than morphine and hundreds of times more powerful than heroin. Unfortunately, fentanyl is also found in many illicit drug products, as it is a cheap filler drug to contaminate others with.
When you have an opioid addiction like fentanyl addiction, your body is dependent on the substance to function normally. As a result, you cannot go too long without using more of the drug. If you do go more than usually 6-12 hours, withdrawal symptoms will begin to set in. These are incredibly uncomfortable and disconcerting symptoms that make it hard to go about your life. You will need to detox from fentanyl to escape the constant onslaught of withdrawal symptoms.
Opioid Addiction Statistics
Opioids are one of the drug types that wreaks the most havoc on people’s lives in the United States. The opioid crisis is a national health state of emergency. Tragically, fentanyl is commonly mixed into other black market drugs so individuals use it without knowing. Because it can interact with other substances, unsuspecting usage is especially dangerous. Due to its prevalence, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found it is connected to the highest amount of overdose deaths. To put this in context, an estimated 74,000 people in the U.S. died from fentanyl in 2022.
The Dangers of Opioids
Just by looking at statistics it’s possible to see how destructive and dangerous fentanyl abuse is. But it is not only fentanyl that is a risky substance with strong addiction potential. All opioid drugs are closely monitored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, but do get abused regardless. The reason opioid abuse is such a problem is because of their irreversible effects on the brain. Opioids bind to the brain’s opioid receptors, mimicking your natural functioning but actually modifying your system. They trigger the reward system by producing positive chemical messengers like dopamine and serotonin. Because it feels so pleasant, the brain immediately desires to recreate the feeling. It doesn’t take long before your brain becomes tolerant on opioids and needs larger doses. And over time, your neurochemistry is altered by substance abuse.
Detoxing from Fentanyl: Here’s What Happens
As mentioned, the only way to overcome opioid addiction like fentanyl addiction is to detox your system. As long as fentanyl remains in your body, you will continue to crave your next dose. Understandably, you can’t function as a healthy, fulfilled individual when drugs are controlling your brain. Although it isn’t enjoyable, the first step is safely removing opioids from your system so you can achieve base sobriety. Truthfully, a drug addiction is a chronic condition that you will need to carefully manage for the rest of your life. But detoxing from substances is the first step that allows you to begin your recovery journey on your own terms.
How long does it take to detox from fentanyl? That depends on a few factors related to the individual. But here is what the process of healing fentanyl addiction looks like at Royal Life Centers.
Medical Detox from Fentanyl
Medical detox is the actual step where fentanyl is weaned from your system. Quitting cold turkey is not safe to do on your own. Yet, we provide medical monitoring and nutrients to help you get through detox in one quick go. Typically, your fentanyl detox will last between 4-8 days. During this time, you will rest in one of our comfortable detox centers as your body detoxes the toxins from fentanyl abuse. Our medical team will provide 24/7 care. This can include administering fluids, nutrients, and comfort medications to ease your fentanyl withdrawal symptoms.
Fentanyl Withdrawal Symptom Management
We’ve mentioned fentanyl withdrawal symptoms, but what do these actually look like? They are physical and psychiatric reactions to weaning off of opioids. Because individuals detox from a state of dependence, withdrawal is usually painful and debilitating, stopping them from carrying on with normal life. Symptoms may include the following:
- Intense drug cravings
- Muscle pains
- Agitation
- Sweating
- Chills
- Runny sinuses
- Stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Light sensitivity
- Trouble sleeping
It is undeniably safest to undergo these symptoms in a medical facility that can help you through them. In fact, trying to get through withdrawal on your own significantly increases your risk of relapsing.
Medication-Assisted Treatment for Fentanyl Addiction
As noted, we can provide comfort medications during the detox process to help reduce your withdrawal symptoms. Beyond detox, some of our guests benefit from longer-term medication use for overcoming opioid addiction. We offer a medication-assistance treatment (MAT) program track that runs alongside drug rehab programming. If you participate in MAT as part of your drug addiction recovery, you’ll work with one of our doctors to find the right medication. They will teach you how to properly and safely use medicine to manage your OUD. We provide FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, including buprenorphine, naloxone, and methadone.
What Happens After Fentanyl Detox?
After completing fentanyl detox, you will be in a fragile state of sobriety. Although your body is rid of fentanyl toxins and the worst is over, you don’t have the coping skills to maintain your sobriety. Understandably, you don’t want to have to undergo the pain of withdrawal again. Therefore, the next step is to learn how to effectively manage your sobriety with healthy coping skills. We teach relapse prevention and abstinence maintenance in residential inpatient rehab.
Inpatient Fentanyl Treatment
Inpatient rehab is a beginning stage of recovery for those who have just completed the initial work of detox. During inpatient rehab, you live in-center and continue to receive 24/7 care and support. The overall goal is to prioritize sobriety with help, but also to gain the resources to maintain sobriety independently in the future. Each of our guests participates in daily therapy and counseling sessions. In both individual and group sessions, they unpack their addiction and how trauma and pain are tied to their OUD. Through traditional therapy and holistic activities, you will gain sobriety management skills to use when triggers arise.
Outpatient Fentanyl Treatment
Much of the initial healing work is done in residential inpatient rehab, but outpatient treatment is a valuable next step. In this stage, you will practice independence while still having strong support from your team of therapists, doctors, and case managers. We help you fully prepare for the future by offering concrete assistance, such as job and housing aid. Although you no longer live in-center in outpatient rehab, you still attend near-daily therapy and counseling sessions with us. Once you complete outpatient rehab, you graduate from Royal Life Centers.
Aftercare Options
After graduating, rest assured we still want to support you in your sobriety. Aftercare is a transitional stage for those who aren’t ready to fully return to their pre-rehab life. Many individuals don’t have situations to return to that will support their drug abstinence. Thus, we can place then in Sober Housing communities with other sober peers and house managers. We also provide alumni activities, resources, and peer support groups for fentanyl addiction.
Detoxing from Fentanyl with Professional Help
Individuals struggling with fentanyl addiction often experience severe opioid withdrawal symptoms, such as muscle aches, intense cravings, and depressive disorders, due to the drug’s strong physical dependence. Medically supervised detox within residential treatment programs ensures safety during acute withdrawal and provides support for cooccurring disorders, including mental illness and prescription drug addiction.
Detoxing from fentanyl can seem scary, but it is the only option if you don’t want to stay trapped in the toxic cycle of addiction. We can help you become a fulfilled sober person through professional drug detox and rehab. Getting help for your fentanyl withdrawal is the best way to ensure you quit substance abuse once and for all. You can leave the pain of addiction and withdrawal in the past! Let us help you find relief through Royal Life Centers.
