Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous drugs on the streets today. If you or someone you know is currently abusing it, it’s vital to stop before it’s too late. Read on to learn more about what to expect from the fentanyl withdrawal timeline.
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid. It was originally developed in the 1960s to treat patients with chronic pain who don’t find relief from other opioids. Over the last ten years, it has been at the center of the ongoing opioid overdose crisis, with a 120% rise in opioid deaths between 2012 and 2018.
Fentanyl is a Schedule II prescription drug because it’s so powerful – it’s considered 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. In its prescription form, fentanyl is known by such names as Actiq®, Duragesic®, and Sublimaze®.
However, in spite of these strict regulations, fentanyl consumption has grown throughout the nation, primarily as a result of illegal production. This has led to many becoming addicted to the drug and unable to quit voluntarily due to severe withdrawal symptoms.
Coming up with a fentanyl withdrawal timeline is difficult. One study found that fentanyl addiction treatment patients continued to test positive 7.43 days on average after admission. However, one patient within the study continued to test positive 19 days after admission.
Where Does Fentanyl Come From?
Fentanyl, being a synthetic drug, does not occur in nature. It’s developed in laboratories, legal and illegal.
In the medical context, fentanyl is manufactured by pharmaceutical companies under strict regulation. These labs produce pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl for legitimate medical use, creating products like patches, lozenges, and injectable solutions used in hospitals and prescribed for severe pain management, often in cancer treatment and post-surgical care.
But fentanyl is also manufactured in illegal labs all around the world, from China to Mexico to India. This fentanyl does not go through the same standards of testing or quality control and has proliferated into the opioid supply on the street.
The fentanyl withdrawal timeline for street fentanyl may differ from pharmaceutical fentanyl. Pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl is produced under regulated conditions, ensuring consistent potency and purity. This can lead to a more predictable withdrawal timeline because the dosage amount and form are controlled (patch, lozenge, tablet, etc.).
Legal Prescription from a Doctor
When prescribed by a doctor, fentanyl can be used to manage severe pain. It’s typically prescribed for cancer patients or for situations where other opioids are ineffective. Due to its potency, it’s often prescribed as a last-resort option under close medical supervision.
Illicit Fentanyl
Most illicit fentanyl is manufactured in unregulated labs, primarily located in China and Mexico. These labs use precursor chemicals to synthesize fentanyl, often with little quality control, making it more dangerous. Fentanyl is then smuggled across the borders of the US and then makes its way into the local street opioid supply, as it is often mixed with other opioids to cut costs and enhance addiction.
The fentanyl withdrawal timeline for illicit fentanyl may start just as quickly as with legal fentanyl, but the intensity and duration may be higher or longer due to the unknown strength and presence of other opioids.
Is Fentanyl Addictive?
Extremely. Like all opioids, fentanyl acts on the brain’s opioid receptors to produce powerful feelings of euphoria and pain relief. Like other opioids, it can lead to dependency quickly, with many finding it difficult to stop using due to severe withdrawal symptoms.
Fentanyl Overdose Stats
Here are some stats regarding fentanyl:
- Fentanyl has been increasingly implicated in opioid overdose deaths since 2014
- According to the DEA, overdose deaths rose 38.1% between 2020 and 2021
- During that same time period, synthetic opioid overdose deaths, which mostly include illegally produced fentanyl, increased by 55.6 percent
- Forty-two percent of all counterfeit pills tested by the DEA were found to contain fentanyl
- Two milligrams of fentanyl is enough to kill someone; a kilogram (typically the amount cartels deal with) is enough to kill 500,000 people
These sobering statistics highlight the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address the fentanyl crisis.
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Call 866-881-1184What Is Fentanyl Withdrawal?
Fentanyl withdrawal refers to the body’s response when someone dependent on the drug stops using it. Detoxing from fentanyl is the process of allowing the body to eliminate the drug while managing withdrawal symptoms, which can be challenging due to the severity of these effects.
Fentanyl Withdrawal Timeline
The fentanyl withdrawal timeline can be divided into several stages, each with distinct symptoms. Withdrawal from fentanyl can be intense, and the timeline varies depending on the duration and amount of fentanyl used, as well as individual factors like health and metabolism.
Here’s an overview of each phase.
Early Withdrawal
Early fentanyl withdrawal symptoms usually start within 6-12 hours after the last dose of fentanyl.
Symptoms can include:
- Restlessness
- Anxiety
- Muscle aches
- Sweating
- Runny nose
- Yawning
Due to the high intensity of symptoms, this phase often feels the hardest to manage. Medical support and symptom management can be critical during acute withdrawal to prevent dehydration and other complications.
Acute Withdrawal
One to three days into the fentanyl withdrawal timeline, symptoms start to peak.
These include:
- Severe muscle pain
- Joint aches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
- Chills
- Excessive sweating
- Heightened anxiety
- Insomnia
Due to the high intensity of symptoms, this phase often feels the hardest to manage. Medical support and symptom management can be critical during acute withdrawal to prevent dehydration and other complications.
Subacute Withdrawal
Between days four and six of the fentanyl withdrawal timeline, symptoms remain but generally become less intense. Aches, chills, and nausea begin to subside. Others, however, like fatigue, irritability, and insomnia, may remain. Emotional symptoms, like depression and anxiety, can become more noticeable as the physical discomfort lessens.
Post-Acute Withdrawal (PAWS)
This can set in after the fentanyl withdrawal timeline is over. Common symptoms include mood swings, anxiety, depression, insomnia, low energy, irritability, and intermittent cravings. These symptoms can fluctuate and may not be constant, sometimes intensifying during stress.
PAWS can make long-term recovery difficult, as it makes people feel like they are still withdrawing, even after all physical symptoms have ceased.
Factors That Influence the Fentanyl Withdrawal Timeline
Various factors can influence this, including dosage and duration of fentanyl use, metabolism, co-occurring substance usage, and a person’s psychological health.
The type of support a person receives during detox can also have a substantial impact. Medication-assisted treatment can make withdrawal symptoms more manageable and even shorten the timeline. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with medications like buprenorphine or methadone can help stabilize withdrawal by gradually reducing fentanyl dependency.
Medication-Assisted Treatment for Fentanyl Abuse
There are a variety of medications for treating fentanyl abuse. These are mainly opioid agonists and antagonists – drugs that act on the opioid receptors in a controlled way to eliminate cravings and mitigate withdrawal symptoms. These drugs are all FDA-approved and have a lot of scientific backing behind them.
Methadone
The medication with the longest track record in MAT for fentanyl addiction is methadone, having first been approved for treatment of opioid withdrawal in the 1960s. Methadone is an opioid agonist, meaning it lessens withdrawal symptoms and cravings by acting on the brain’s opioid receptors.
However, there are some issues with methadone. For one, it’s highly regulated – patients have to go to special, government-approved clinics on a daily basis to get it. For many, this is inconvenient and discourages them from seeking treatment.
Compared to the other drugs on this list, there is also a somewhat higher risk for abuse and even overdose with methadone. However, it is still used by addiction specialists today and can be very helpful when used correctly.
Buprenorphine (Suboxone)
Buprenorphine comes with some advantages over methadone. The main one is it has a “ceiling effect,” meaning higher doses will not lead to greater euphoric effects, which means a lower chance of abuse or overdose. It also has fewer side effects.
It’s also easier to obtain. Buprenorphine can be prescribed in a doctor’s office and used at home. This makes it easier to fulfill work and other responsibilities while undergoing treatment.
Naltrexone
Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist, which means it works by blocking the effects of opioids, including fentanyl, at their receptor sites in the brain. It is not addictive and does not produce euphoric effects, making it a safe option for individuals recovering from opioid addiction. Naltrexone is typically available in two forms: oral tablets and a long-acting injectable formulation (Vivitrol).
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Check Your CoverageLong-Term Fentanyl Recovery
If you or a loved one are seeking treatment for addiction, South Coast Behavioral Health is here to help. The first step in treating addiction is a medical detox. This means using drugs to manage withdrawal symptoms.
Our medical detox program in California is staffed by caring and compassionate professionals who can provide you with medications to manage your withdrawal symptoms.
At South Coast, we take pride in offering care that is closely tailored to specific issues. To that end, we offer gender-specific detox programs, with medical detox for men in Irvine, CA, and medical detox for women in Huntington Beach, CA.
After detoxing, proper treatment can begin.
Treatment for substance abuse takes place along an entire spectrum of care. Along that entire spectrum are various behavioral therapies, support groups, and the use of medically-assisted treatment (MAT).
These levels of treatment are, in order, as follows:
Residential Treatment in California
After successfully completing medical detox, you’ll receive inpatient treatment in Orange County, California. There, you’ll receive medically-assisted treatment and dual diagnosis treatment to deal with any cravings or co-occurring mental health issues you may be battling.
We also offer residential treatment facilities in Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Huntington Beach for those who desire gender-specific treatment. There, patients get round-the-clock medical attention and monitoring while living at the institution full-time.
In addition to individual and group counseling and medication management, you’ll also have access to leisure activities and family support services.
Partial Hospitalization in California
Most clients start substance abuse treatment with South Coast in our residential treatment program. After completing that, many desire something that still provides structure and support but with extra space and time to oneself. For that, we offer Partial Hospitalization in Newport Beach.
A step down from inpatient care but with more structure than conventional outpatient programs, partial hospitalization offers a good balance for those looking to ease back into normal life. Clients can receive care five to seven days a week for a number of hours each day, returning back to their homes in the evening.
This way, they can recover without putting their daily lives completely on hold, receiving intense therapeutic interventions like group and individual therapy, skill development, and medication management as necessary.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment in California
For those leaving inpatient residential treatment or partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs (IOP) are yet another gradual step forward on the road to recovery.
With a focus on group therapy, individual counseling, and education, clients undergoing Intensive Outpatient Treatment in Newport Beach can meet three to five days a week. Each session lasts three hours.
This level of care requires the least amount of attendance at a facility.
Start Today
If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction but wonder how long addiction treatment takes or have other questions, call us at 866-881-1184 or contact us here. Our highly qualified staff will be happy to help give you an idea of what to expect from your addiction recovery timeline, verify your insurance, and assist with any other questions you may have.
