Treatment for Fentanyl Addiction
When powerful drugs like fentanyl become entwined and embedded into every segment of life, yours or a loved one’s, solutions can seem out of reach and the sense of hopelessness in the face of such chaos can seem overwhelming. It may help to understand how opiates can have such a devastating effect emotionally, physiologically, and mentally, eliminating everything that may have once held meaning and value.
A starting point to healing may be found in the knowledge that it is possible to overcome addiction and become free of its imprisonment. The Alternative to Meds Center program is structured to provide these strategic tools.
Fentanyl addiction is killing thousands daily, fast or slow, and the death rates seem to climb at a rate we have never seen before. To understand the immenseness of fentanyl and its full weight of destruction, just a small dose can knock out a full-sized elephant. Imagine what it does to the human mind, body, and soul.
Naloxone has served as a life preserver in a dangerous ocean of addiction. But because of the massive number of opioid receptors captured by fentanyl, a larger dose is needed to bring a person out of a fentanyl overdose. Naloxone, properly administered in a life or death emergency, is only a temporary way to open the door to recovery, and true healing will take additional steps back to life without the burden of addiction.15
Holistic Pain Management
Holistic pain management has defaulted in many clinical settings to substituting one drug for another. This is a short-sighted view. There are many innovations in this field that can attain relief without continuing to solely rely on pharmaceutical products.16
People are gifted with a natural, magnificent system for internal pain control. Two primary neurotransmitters for this function are called endorphins and enkephalins.7 The pharmaceutical opiates have been designed to mimic these. They are synthetic analogs to our naturally produced chemicals (also called hormones, neurotransmitters, endorphins, enkephalins, peptides, etc.).
Our natural pain control chemicals are designed to be powerful pain blockers. These natural chemicals also have a function of emotional responses, such as pleasure and the sense of reward.
Clinically, we see that people suffering from pain also may be burdened emotionally. However, without the interference or blocks that drugs temporarily provide, both the emotional and painful feelings we experience could be perceived as guideposts to help us navigate more successfully through the trials of life. Though not always pleasant, fears and emotional or physical pains could be compared to warning signals that alert us to threats, danger, or something to avoid. And created with perfect balance, feelings of joy, happiness, physical touch, etc., also shine a light that beckons toward the pleasures in life, the positive connections, goals, and experiences that are available to us.
When emotional or physical suffering becomes chronic, as in PTSD conditions, a person is placed in the precarious position of spending all available reserves of these precious natural commodities. As the situation goes on, they are struggling with a chronic and worsening condition, existing in a deficit.
When the body responds to the presence of fentanyl or other opioids, it shuts down its own natural chemical production, further compounding the deficit. There is another equally important change that occurs; the body, sensing a need to defend itself, instinctively begins building new pain receptors in an attempt to continue to maintain its built-in warning system.
As a result, natural endorphins are in low supply and we are at a disadvantage on every count. Additionally, painful situations become more excruciating, not less. Joyful or happy experiences become less so, as we are unable to positively respond or feel any appreciation for them. This might describe a day in the life of an opiate user. The supply of natural pain-blocking chemicals has been cut off. And the number of newly created pain receptors is off the chart. So when the artificial analog, i.e., fentanyl, is withdrawn, there is no buffer or defense, and there is also a greatly magnified sensation of pain, including emotional pain.
The temporary solution to this situation is to procure more fentanyl in a desperate attempt to stop the emotional and physical pain. Fentanyl cravings left untreated, impact and pervade the entire body with magnified, aggressive, and intolerable withdrawals. However, addressing basics such as diet and supplementation to provide the deficient body with the raw materials it needs for natural endorphin support is essential, and one of many fundamental parts of treatment at Alternative to Meds Center.17,18
Our Drug Treatment Facility
There are many safe and proven ways to provide relief and hope for a better future. There are bridge medications that can temporarily provide a way out of the pain that is driving the addiction. And there are ways to help the body regenerate adequate endorphins and tolerance to pain. Many other holistic pain management strategies are used at Alternative to Meds Center to support healing on the journey back to vibrant health. There are ways to help assuage and soothe emotional pain and release it through various genres of therapy offered here. Life choices can be re-examined in a safe and nurturing setting with the help of a trusted and compassionate Life Coach or CBT counselor, for example.
There is much, much more to learn about the mechanics of healing from fentanyl addiction. At Alternative to Meds Center, we incorporate education as a foundational part of understanding, accelerating the ability to regain strength and health in very practical and pragmatic ways. Examples of services available for addiction treatment include IV + NAD treatment, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, holistic detox, physical exercise, nebulized glutathione, colon hydrotherapy, neurotoxin removal, neurotransmitter rehabilitation, co-occurring disorders therapy, and much more. Please take a moment to review our services overview pages for more details on services offered at the center.
Contact us for more information about how our fentanyl addiction treatment programs including fentanyl alternatives might provide the path for you or a loved one to successfully navigate back to life and the natural joy that comes with having control of your natural, mental health.
Many deaths from fentanyl occur in first-time users, or those using it for only a short time, as they are unaware of the drug’s powerful depressant effects. Illicit drug use comes with many risks. For example, there is no way of knowing whether heroin purchased contains fentanyl, knowing its strength or concentration, or if fentanyl is present as a lacing agent. Fentanyl pills often come from unregulated labs. Apart from the deaths due to overdose from pure fentanyl, a high percentage of fentanyl deaths are traced to the dangerous additive effects of laced heroin or when combined with other drugs.
