Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that doctors prescribe as a treatment for severe pain. It is available in various forms like patches, lozenges, and injections. This drug produces side effects under prescription too. The patient may experience anxiety, drowsiness, or constipation.

If you take it beyond prescription, your body becomes dependent on it. Then you need fentanyl every day to function normally. If you stop taking it all of a sudden, you would experience withdrawal symptoms. Some people become so addicted to this drug that they need to enroll in an Iowa drug rehab center to go off it.

Common causes for addiction

You can develop a physical dependency on fentanyl when:

  • You take the drug in a higher dose than prescribed
  • You continue to take it even when your prescription is over
  • Your doctor prescribes you to take fentanyl orally, but you inject it or snort it
  • You take fentanyl with other drugs or alcohol
  • You somehow get fentanyl illegally and use it without prescription

Physical dependency = addiction

Call it a physical dependency. Call it an addiction. It’s almost the same thing. Doctors also call it substance use disorder (SUD). According to them, it is a disease that compels you to take the drug despite knowing about the negative consequences.

Addiction is a dangerous disease; often life-threatening. You must seek treatment fast. Calling an addiction hotline is one step towards addressing this disease.

Withdrawal timeline of fentanyl

Time taken to withdraw from fentanyl depends on a person’s degree of addiction, age, genetic makeup, and overall health.

Generally, withdrawal from this drug shows the following timeline:

Early-stage

Withdrawal symptoms appear within 12-30 hours after you took the last dose of fentanyl. You would feel:

  • Anxiety
  • Sweating
  • Insomnia
  • A strong craving for fentanyl
  • Watery eyes
  • Runny nose
  • Muscle and joint pains

Many people are unable to cope with fentanyl withdrawal symptoms and switch back to taking fentanyl. This isn’t the solution.

Later stage

After a few days, the early-stage symptoms become intense. You may also experience additional symptoms like:

  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Increased heart rate
  • Dilated pupils
  • Cramps in the stomach
  • Cold flashes accompanied by goosebumps

Generally, symptoms subside in a few weeks. However, it is at the early and the later stages that you need strong willpower to carry on with your treatment. If you wish to go off this drug, search for “drug rehab near me” and enroll in a comprehensive recovery program.

Remember, psychological symptoms such as cravings for the drug and anxiety stay for months. That’s why it is important to be under the guidance of therapists and medical professionals. They help you cope with the entire withdrawal process and provide you with tips on how to fight cravings.

A guided withdrawal program hardly leaves a chance for relapse. You wish to go off fentanyl for life, not just for a short period, right?

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