There are multiple bipartisan pieces of federal legislation aimed at supporting schools in dealing with fentanyl, including one proposed bill that would give money to schools to stock naloxone and train teachers and nurses in updated drug education. In some cases, a single high school or school district has seen multiple fentanyl overdose deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl-related adolescent overdose deaths nearly tripled from 2019 to 2021.
He tried to purchase a prescription-grade pill from a dealer on social media. According to the family, it’s not clear why he decided to take an opioid pill. To understand the significance of this promising trend, it’s important to recall the terror and devastation wrought by fentanyl among families and communities in the U.S. The lifesaving shift is welcome news for parents like Jon Epstein, who lost his son Cal to fentanyl in 2020. “Ages 20 to 29 lowered the risk by 47%, cut it right in half.”
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Fentanyl carries a high risk of dependence and addiction. However, people may not always know fentanyl is present. A healthcare professional may prescribe it to treat severe pain. Fentanyl is a potent opioid that offers pain relief to those who live with severe acute or chronic pain conditions. Carrying naloxone can provide them with an extra layer of protection from overdose.
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Both survived cocaine and heroin use when they were in their 20s and say they believe programs like this one are helping people recover. There are also growing efforts around the U.S. aimed at reaching young people experiencing severe addiction, programs that ramped up over the past four years with federal funding from the Biden administration. That matters because studies show people who survive addiction long enough do typically recover. But many experts, activists and front-line healthcare workers say there’s more hope on the streets, too. Many researchers believe another key factor may be less risky drug and alcohol use among teens and twenty-somethings, a pattern that emerged during the years of the COVID epidemic. Then last year, federal data revealed a stunning decline, with 40% fewer teens experiencing fatal overdoses.
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“We need to revive drug education in America. In a way, we need to Narcan drug education – we need to breathe life into it, bring it back,” Ternan says. A different ballgame because many students aren’t intentionally seeking out the deadly drug they’re overdosing on. “This isn’t like the drug crisis we were dealing with 20 years ago, it’s a completely different ballgame,” Kalafatas says.
You will need a valid prescription from a healthcare professional, as fentanyl is a prescription-only medication. It is essential to consult a healthcare provider and obtain a valid prescription if you need fentanyl for pain management. No drug has fueled the current spike in overdose deaths more than fentanyl. This increases the risk of overdose, addiction, and other health complications. Naloxone is an FDA- approved medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses. The street version of the drug is primarily pressed into pill form, typically to mimic the look of other legitimate opioid pills.
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If you do not have a take-back program nearby or one that you can access promptly, then flush the fentanyl down the toilet so that others will not take it. You must immediately dispose of any medication that is outdated or no longer needed through a medicine take-back program. Store fentanyl at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).
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Side effects include drowsiness, weakness, and dry mouth. Fentanyl is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. You should call 911, administer naloxone, try and keep the individual awake, lay the person on their side, and stay with them until emergency services arrive.
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Its inclusion makes street drugs more potent and cheaper to make, driving its frequent use in the production of illicit substances. At Zinnia Health, we provide the tools, guidance, and treatment facilities needed to break free from drug abuse and addiction. “There is no doubt many lives have been saved by keeping these poison pills off the streets of Colorado.” The incident marks the largest one-time seizure of counterfeit pills in Colorado history, and the sixth-largest single seizure of suspected fentanyl pills in U.S. history, federal authorities said. Law enforcement ultimately identified approximately 1.7 million counterfeit fentanyl pills and 12 kilograms of fentanyl powder that had the potential to yield up to an additional 6 million pills, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). A winning bidder of a Colorado storage unit unexpectedly found more than 1 million counterfeit fentanyl pills inside in a record-breaking narcotics seizure, federal authorities announced Monday.
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Savings will vary by medication and by pharmacy. You are obligated to pay for all medications, but you may receive a discount from those pharmacies that have contracted with the discount plan organization. Hippo is a trusted and secure way to manage personal information and pay for medications. Fentanyl is a naturally occurring substance in the human body known for its calming and euphoric effects.
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This is true for either medical use or non-medical use. Understanding these different forms is essential to addressing fentanyl-related issues. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. With interprofessional coordination of activities and open communication, fentanyl therapy can be successful and adverse events avoided or managed if they arise. When prescribing fentanyl, the dose and duration should be the lowest and shortest effective, and the patient is continually assessed for compliance and/or diversion in outpatient settings.
Naloxone can reverse symptoms of fentanyl and other opioid poisoning. If you use opioids a lot, you may find that you develop a tolerance and need more and more to feel the same effects. However, drugs you buy on the street are never safe. When fentanyl is taken by mouth or by intravenous (IV) injection, it has a stronger effect than most other opioids.
Illicit fentanyl use has increased sharply over the last decade and has significantly contributed to drug-related overdose and deaths. When fentanyl binds to these receptors, it can create intense feelings of euphoria and relaxation, but it also carries a high risk for addiction and overdose. The FDA has approved these antidote medications for emergency treatment of patients with known or suspected opioid overdose experiencing respiratory and/or central nervous system (CNS) depression. An opioid drug antagonist such as naloxone can help to correct OIRD symptoms.
Avery Kalafatas, an 18-year-old from the Bay Area, says she knew nearly nothing about fentanyl until it killed her cousin, Aidan Mullin. The 2021 National Survey of Drug Use and Health found only about 60% of surveyed year-olds self-reported that they saw or heard drug or alcohol prevention messaging in school. And in schools across the country, drug education is ad-hoc, not standardized and oftentimes outdated. Of the 20 largest districts in the country, only five confirmed to NPR that they stocked naloxone in all of their schools last school year. Social media posts and back-to-school messages from school staff include warnings and pleas to turn in pills students have bought online, “no questions asked.”
- LAUSD is one of the largest districts to stock naloxone, a medicine that reverses opioid overdoses, throughout its schools.
- This material is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified health professional.
- When you use an illegal drug, there’s no guarantee that it contains what the dealer or person who gave it to you says it does.
- Obtain a valid prescription from a healthcare professional and only purchase fentanyl from licensed pharmacies – either locally or online.
- Your symptoms may return within a few minutes after you receive naloxone.If your symptoms return, the person should give you another dose of naloxone.
According to Dasgupta at the University of North Carolina, years of devastation caused by fentanyl and other opioids might mean more people in their teens and twenties are choosing to experiment with less risky drugs. Yes, fentanyl is significantly more potent than heroin and other opioids, which increases the risk of overdose and other health complications. Some drug users told VICE World News that because fentanyl is the dominant street opioid, prescription heroin and other medical alternatives are not enough to keep their withdrawal and cravings at bay. Approximately 69% of all drug overdose deaths in 2023 involved synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily reflects illegally made fentanyl).6Nonfatal and fatal overdoses involving fentanyl have risen sharply over the past decade.789
His father, Jon Epstein, and mother, Jennifer Epstein, joined a movement of activist parents in a group called Song for Charlie that works to raise awareness about the risks of fentanyl and other street drugs. “I’ve had three overdoses, and two of the times I was definitely Narcaned,” he said, referring to a medication, also known as naloxone, that reverses potentially fatal opioid overdoses. PHILADELPHIA — When Justin Carlyle, 23, began experimenting with drugs a decade ago, he found himself part of a generation of young Americans caught in the devastating wave of harm caused by fentanyl addiction and overdose. After a decade when overdoses devastated young Americans, drug deaths among people in the U.S. under age 35 are plummeting. Justin Carlyle, age 23, photographed on the street in Kensington, a neighborhood of Philadelphia, has lived with addiction to fentanyl and other drugs for a decade.
