What is Fentanyl?
What Are Fentanyl Lollipops?
Fentanyl Abuse: Risks of Fentanyl Lollipops
Signs and Symptoms of Fentanyl Addiction
People who develop fentanyl addictions suffer from a condition known as an opioid use disorder. The DSM-V, the manual that psychiatrists use to diagnose individuals with disorders, defines opioid use disorders by listing 11 associated symptoms.
Addiction manifests itself via different symptoms for every person, so not everyone suffers from every single one of the best symptoms of opioid addiction. Fentanyl addiction is best thought of as a spectrum disorder. People who become addicted to fentanyl lollipops are likely to experience the following symptoms:
- Taking more fentanyl, or spending more time taking fentanyl, than originally intended
- Having a strong ongoing desire to stop abusing fentanyl or cut down on use but being unable to do so
- Spending a significant portion of one’s time, energy, and money to obtain fentanyl, abuse fentanyl, or recover from fentanyl use disorder
- Experiencing strong urges or cravings to use fentanyl
- Due to ongoing fentanyl abuse, being unable to meet obligations at work, home, or school adequately
- Despite the fentanyl abuse causing problems, continuing to abuse fentanyl
- Withdrawing from work, social, recreational, or other opportunities to abuse fentanyl
- Continuing to abuse fentanyl despite awareness of being in danger, such as driving under the influence of fentanyl
- Continuing to use fentanyl even when it is causing or exacerbating a physical or psychological problem
- Developing a tolerance to fentanyl, whereby a person needs greater quantities of the drug to experience the high to which they are accustomed
- Suffering from withdrawal symptoms when fentanyl use stops or the dosage is decreased
The Greatest Risk: Fentanyl Overdose
Due to the quick-release nature of fentanyl lollipops, users are particularly susceptible to opioid overdose. Since 1998, when the fentanyl lollipop was released on the market, the rates of opioid overdoses have dramatically increased in the United States. In 1999, 3,442 people died as a result of synthetic opioid abuse.
That number has multiplied since then. In 2017, synthetic opioids were responsible for 17,029 deaths. When people abuse the fentanyl lollipop, it can be difficult to determine if they are getting a dose they can withstand.
Signs of Fentanyl Overdose
- Frequent vomiting
- Significant confusion, delirium, or acting drunk
- Intermittent loss of consciousness
- Extreme sleepiness, or the complete inability to wake up at al
- Pinpoint pupils
- Breathing problems, such as slowed or irregular breathing
- Respiratory arrest (no breathing at all)
- Cold, clammy skin
- Bluish or discolored skin, especially under the fingernails or around the lips
Fentanyl Withdrawal
How Long Does Fentanyl Withdrawl Last?
The duration of fentanyl withdrawal depends on how much and how often a person has been abusing the drug. Generally speaking, early symptoms of fentanyl withdrawal can begin within 6-12 hours after the last use, while more severe symptoms can take several days to appear.
The acute danger period in which overdose is most likely occurs when the body becomes used to having the drug and suddenly stops receiving it. This period usually occurs within 1-3 days of the last use and can last for up to a week or more.
The symptoms of fentanyl withdrawal may not be as dangerous as overdose, but they can still cause significant disruption in a person’s life. As such, it is always recommended that someone who is addicted to fentanyl lollipops seek professional help to detox from the drug safely.
Professional treatment programs can provide medical and psychological support and other resources designed to make withdrawal more manageable.
Read Further:
Fentanyl Half-Life: Detection Time in Your System
Frequently Asked Questions
Medical lollipops, also known as medicated suckers or lozenges, are a type of oral medicine that comes in the form of flavored hard candy. Medical lollipops are typically used as a convenient alternative to tablets or other forms of medication, allowing for easier dosing and an improved taste.
Fentanyl Recovery Resources
It is essential that anyone experiencing an overdose or suffering from addiction be given proper care. While medical assistance is generally helpful during the height of a personal crisis, long-term addiction care is the best course of action for someone suffering from an opioid use disorder.
Ultimately, achieving long-term sobriety requires more than just ceasing to abuse fentanyl lollipops. Substance use disorder is a complex medical condition with various underlying causes, including trauma, economic hardship, and untreated mental health conditions. Addressing these underlying issues is essential, as is developing new skills and tools for coping with life.
Design for Recovery, a structured sober living home in Los Angeles, California, offers a safe space for young men to develop the skills they need to avoid relapse over the long term. At Design for Recovery, the staff understands that abstaining from fentanyl is only the beginning of recovery.
Residents at Design for Recovery work daily to develop a strong social support system and to rebuild their lives from the ground up. By the time they graduate, residents who enrolled only a few months prior in a state of abject hopelessness are thriving in their newfound sobriety.
- Ramos-Matos CF, Bistas KG, Lopez-Ojeda W. Fentanyl. [Updated 2022 May 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459275/
- Stanley, T. H., Hague, B., Mock, D. L., Streisand, J. B., Bubbers, S., Dzelzkalns, R. R., Bailey, P. L., Pace, N. L., East, K. A., & Ashburn, M. A. (1989). Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (lollipop) premedication in human volunteers. Anesthesia and analgesia, 69(1), 21–27.
- Bruijnzeel, A. W., Lewis, B., Bajpai, L. K., Morey, T. E., Dennis, D. M., & Gold, M. (2006). Severe deficit in brain reward function associated with fentanyl withdrawal in rats. Biological psychiatry, 59(5), 477–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.07.020
