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Opioid Detox and Heroin Detox in Texas: What is Fentanyl?

Opioid Detox and Heroin Detox in Texas – Many Americans are still reeling from the sudden death of music pop icon Prince, who suddenly passed away on April 21st. Once the tears were wiped away, many Americans were devastated to learn that Prince had suffered from an addiction to opiates and pain medication. There was speculation that the legendary performer and singer suffered from an addiction caused by hip pain, and Minnesota Medical Examiners reported that Prince died from an overdose from the powerful painkiller Fentanyl. Prince was recently the most famous casualty of this potent drug, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is responsible for hundreds of overdose deaths per year in the past few years. The drug is so powerful that prescriptions are written out in microgram doses! Even a tablet the size of an average aspirin would easily kill you. Overdoses can be reversed with naloxone, but even such overdoses may require higher or multiple doses of the medication Naloxone to counteract fentanyl’s potency. First developed in a lab in the 1960s, fentanyl was intended to be an alternative to morphine. It’s used by doctors to ease the pain of some cancer treatments or for people undergoing surgery. It is fast-acting, crossing the blood-brain barrier more quickly than other drugs, and ruthlessly efficient in targeting the body’s opioid receptors. News media stations are filled with articles on the topic of the current drug epidemic in America. There’s a lot of talk these days about the impact of drug addiction and the victims of substance abuse and their families, specifically towards pain medications and other opioids. Heroin laced with Fentanyl has also made its news media highlights recently with the spike in deaths related to this drug. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, more people die from drug overdoses than car accidents each year. In fact, according to the DEA, the use of such drugs as heroin, oxycodone and hydrocodone are now the leading causes of unintentional death in this country. Is this statistic the “wake up call” for American legislation to update their policies and procedures? The CDC has urged doctors to limit opioid prescriptions, citing the spiking number of overdoses. In 2014, more than 18,000 Americans died from prescription opioid overdoses according to the Department of Health and Human Services, a statistic that swamps the 700 deaths from fentanyl, due to being prescribed less, the numbers are still great. Americans need to be educated and be cautious when being prescribed opioid pain medication, and the doctors need to understand that starting a patient on an opiate is a momentous decision.  Many addicts entering treatment today hooked on heroin claim that pain medication from past surgeries introduce them to the “high” feeling and claim they resorted to street drugs like heroin due to prescriptions running out.

If you or someone you know needs help with a heroin addiction or opioid painkiller addiction, call Hill Country Detox today for Heroin Detox in Texas, Opioid Detox in Texas, and other Drug Detox in Texas and a private consolation on drug treatment options. Contact Us

Categories: Opiate Detox In Texas