Statistics+compiled+by+the+CDC.

Rosangel Flores-Rubio

Statistics compiled by the CDC.

What is fentanyl?

December 21, 2022

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used for treating extreme pain, specifically advanced cancer pain. When Fentanyl is used pharmaceutically It is administered through a patch on the patient’s skin. Though, there are two types of fentanyl, pharmaceuticals, and illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl is what people are overdosing from.

Fentanyl can be found in pills and powder. The dangers of taking pills with unknown quantities have been connected to the rise in deaths according to the CDC (Hattie Conover)

Carrie Hough, a preventive specialist who speaks to young people about the dangers of fentanyl believes the dangers of fentanyl rise due to teens thinking they are getting a different substance.

“Most overdose deaths are due to what people are starting to call poisoning more than anything else. Because it’s people who think they’re using some other substance and are getting fentanyl instead,” Carrie Hough Community and Family Resources specialist said.

Fentanyl gives many effects for example euphoria, pain relief, confusion, drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting according to the DEA. People often seek out drugs for mental relief and the euphoria that comes along with using, but these drugs are double-edged swords that are often fatal at small doses.

“What a lot of people don’t know about opiates is that it doesn’t just take away physical pain. For example, OxyContin is prescribed to take away physical pain. It also takes away emotional pain and gives a euphoria or a good feeling. In that state, you can’t feel the emotional pain that you might be going through. So a lot of people who have trauma are drawn to using an opiate because it’s going to take away that emotional pain for a short period of time,” Kayla Borja Frost the outpatient clinical manager at Community Family Resources said.

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Little Hawk
$1775
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Iowa City High School. For 2023, we are trying to update our video and photo studio, purchase new cameras and attend journalism conferences.

The Little Hawk • Copyright 2024 • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNOLog in

Donate to The Little Hawk
$1775
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Little Hawk Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *