Why is Fentanyl Dangerous?

Most individuals who have an addiction are looking to recreate the initial high they had the first time they tried it. What’s happening as a result of that is, people who are selling the drugs, manufacturing, or adding to heroin or other substances, whether they’re cutting it with doorman, cutting it with brick dust, or cutting it with baking soda, they are also adding fentanyl to it. Fentanyl is measured in micrograms which means its a hundred times or a thousand times more powerful than heroin itself.

Adding fentanyl to other drugs makes them lethal, as well. Since the FDA does not control heroin,  the use of heroin, or who is manufacturing it – what then happens is the heroine is getting stronger and stronger and there’s no way in the world to tell how much or what percentage of the heroin is present or how pure the heroin is. In addition, one cannot determine how much fentanyl has been added to a substance. It’s basically a roll of the dice to see what’s happening when someone ingests fentanyl.

The latest trend in adding fentanyl to a substance is the ignition of lidocaine. Lidocaine is making patients go through very severe withdrawals – so with the addition of both fentanyl and lidocaine, patients are upping their use of heroin at a lot quicker rate. This is increasing tolerance in the individual and also increases the potential for lethality.

With all these things, this is what’s dangerous about both fentanyl and heroin.

If you or a loved one are struggling with an addiction, read some of our previous posts to learn more or contact us at (618) 692-6880