Research shows that treating mental health disorders alongside addiction improves outcomes and reduces relapse risk. Contingency management uses positive reinforcement to encourage recovery behaviors. You might earn rewards or incentives for attending sessions, passing drug tests, or meeting treatment goals.
What to Expect in a Professional Setting
If you or a loved one is struggling with fentanyl dependence, reach out today. We’re here to help you start your recovery journey safely and confidently. Explore our rehab directory to find a treatment near you that can help you safely detox from fentanyl, address underlying issues, and create an aftercare plan for long-lasting recovery. These peak withdrawal symptoms can usually last between hours after your last fentanyl use. It’s unclear why some patients have severe symptoms after stopping their medications.
Analyses of the impact of fentanyl use on opioid withdrawal symptoms
Generally, scores are interpreted as mild (between 5 and 12), moderate (between 13 and 24), moderately severe 25-35 and severe 35. Fentanyl withdrawal is far more severe than withdrawal from other opioids due to its extreme potency and great risk of misuse. Symptoms like intense cravings, anxiety, and physical discomfort begin within a few hours after withdrawal. The main symptoms of fentanyl withdrawal include muscle pain, sweating, chills, nausea, anxiety, depression, cravings for fentanyl, insomnia, fever, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, and dysphoria. Fentanyl detoxification may last between seven to 10 days, depending on the severity of withdrawal symptoms and the number of drugs or drinks consumed. Mixing fentanyl with other opioids like prescription painkillers or heroin significantly heightens the risk of overdose.
Medical Supervision During Withdrawal
- Fentanyl overdose is still possible at any time since only a small amount of the drug can be fatal.
- If left untreated, these symptoms can rapidly dehydrate the body and cause dangerously high levels of sodium to accumulate in the blood (hypernatremia).
- Opioid use disorders require ongoing care, not just short-term detox.
- If you or a loved one is going through this, know that it’s a challenging journey but one you don’t have to face alone.
Lofexidine can play a valuable role in reducing the severity of fentanyl withdrawal effects, supporting individuals as they work towards discontinuing fentanyl use. Detox from fentanyl usually takes 7 to 10 days, with withdrawal symptoms starting within 12 hours of the last dose. Symptoms peak between days 2 and 4 and gradually decline by day 7. Factors such as how long does fentanyl stay in your system dosage, length of use, and individual health can extend detox to several weeks. A person taking prescribed fentanyl can experience dependence, meaning they have withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the drug.
Tapering off fentanyl should be done in a medically supervised environment, where a physician will create a plan to slowly lower doses of fentanyl until a person can stop safely. Other medications may also be used during Alcoholics Anonymous fentanyl detox in order to help with specific symptoms. These include sedatives, such as benzodiazepines, and the medication clonidine, which helps reduce some withdrawal symptoms. Within about three to five days, most of the symptoms come to an end. However, people can experience emotional issues after they stop using fentanyl.
Signs You Need Help With Fentanyl Addiction
- Fentanyl withdrawal is the body’s reaction to life without a drug it has come to depend on.
- The dose of these drugs is then tapered in a slow and controlled manner until the recipient is opioid-free.
- Lofexidine can play a valuable role in reducing the severity of fentanyl withdrawal effects, supporting individuals as they work towards discontinuing fentanyl use.
- Unlike the withdrawal that occurs when abstaining from alcohol or benzodiazepines, opioid withdrawal does not lead to death in most cases.
- While the withdrawal process can feel overwhelming, recovery is possible with the right support.
It is also helpful to avoid under or overmedicating those going through fentanyl withdrawal. Although methadone functions in the same way as fentanyl, it is not as dangerous. While only a speck of fentanyl can result in an overdose, methadone is much less deadly and potent. Those who opt for methadone will need to take it on a long-term basis. Once they’ve successfully weaned off of fentanyl, they will also need to slowly taper off methadone as well.
This can raise their risk of serious or even deadly pregnancy complications. Like any opioid, fentanyl use can lead to tolerance, especially if you take it for a prolonged period of time. Search our directory, compare programs, and start recovering today. They will also rule out other possible conditions, like alcohol intoxication or withdrawal, opioid-induced depressive disorder, or other withdrawal disorders.
