Fentanyl was developed, as with so many medical-grade opioids, as a pain reliever. Intended to be one of the most powerful and effective to date, it’s also one of the most easily abused. A tiny amount can lead to overdose, and fentanyl is too easy to slip into other drugs to increase their potency and addictiveness. This poses severe risks to unwitting people. A fentanyl addiction treatment program is the best way to address the abuse of this potentially deadly drug.
At The Right Step Houston, our professional staff of clinicians and addiction specialists offers whole-person treatment to address an addiction to fentanyl. The side effects of fentanyl, its highly addictive nature, and what fentanyl does to the brain make professional rehab the best option for people seeking recovery. Reach out to The Right Step Houston by calling 1.844.768.0169 and getting answers to the question: “What are the effects of fentanyl?”
What You Should Know About the Effects of Fentanyl on the Brain
Fentanyl, like all opioids and many other psychotropic drugs, interferes with the brain’s ability to function correctly. The intense high that comes with fentanyl use at first becomes increasingly challenging to achieve. However, the brain is affected every time someone takes the drug, eventually causing problems with normal functioning.
The brain takes care of everything in your body, including involuntary functions like breathing, digestion, and everything else. Whether you’re happy or sad, feel pain or joy, love literature or science, prefer the country or the city—it’s all in your brain.
Fentanyl gets into the normally securely protected brain by disguising itself as naturally occurring chemicals that connect the brain to the rest of the body. Production of these neurotransmitters goes down when the body senses the flood of endorphins or serotonin, for example, that fentanyl use initiates. The opioid has forced the brain to go offline, thus triggering its dependence on and addiction to the drug.
You’re now dependent on fentanyl to:
- Focus
- Feel enjoyment or pleasure
- Manage anxiety or stress
- Make decisions
The addiction means that you focus almost entirely on acquiring and using fentanyl. Your former priorities disappear, including jobs, family, school, friends, hobbies, and simple pleasures.
What fentanyl does to the brain doesn’t stop there. In fact, with extended use of fentanyl, your brain’s physical structures can also be changed, often permanently. A loss of white matter, which is in charge of processing speed in the brain, can lead to slowed thinking.
Why Fentanyl’sbrain’s Addictiveness Causes Problems
The side effects of fentanyl are hazardous because of the potency and quick action of this drug on the brain. Consider the following:
- Fentanyl reaches and affects the brain so fast that it feels instantaneous, leading to rapid signs of overdose that too often go unnoticed.
- One sand-sized grain of fentanyl is as potent as a teaspoon of heroin.
- A single exposure to fentanyl can lead to immediate dependence, making fentanyl much more addictive than heroin.
- Dealers often hide fentanyl in other drugs, so you may unknowingly take something far more dangerous and addictive than expected.
The psychological side effects of fentanyl are as powerful as the physical ones. The drug’s euphoric feeling seeks you in a cycle of forever seeking. It eventually takes more fentanyl to reach baseline—where you can both function and feel things. Someone with an addiction will increase how much they take in pursuit of that tipping point. Eventually, the amount it takes to feel good is too much for the body to withstand.
Connect with The Right Step Houston for Fentanyl Addiction Treatment Today
Everyone at The Right Step Houston understands the devastation of addiction. If you or someone you love is using fentanyl, there’s a high probability that they’re already dependent on this powerful opioid.
Second chances are possible. A caring staff offering evidence-based therapies in a safe environment can help you on your path to healing. Contact The Right Step Houston today by filling out our online form or calling us at 1.844.768.0169.