Science May One Day Do So… –
May 1, 2019 – Fentanyl is now found in the bloodstreams of 90 percent of people that die of drug overdoses. The synthetic opioid is far more powerful than even heroin, and every bit as addictive … It isn’t clear how many fentanyl users go looking for it or prefer it as compared to those who end up using it unintentionally, but its addictive profile means that once someone has had the drug, they may continue to chase it, or more and higher doses of other opioids.
Like addiction to heroin or prescription opidoids, fentanyl addcition is so intense and physiological that users should not quit cold turkey, but rather need to be treated with long-acting non-addictive therapies like buprenorphine. Use of these opiate variations is and will remain the best way to treat these addictions. But if fentanyl addiction could be stopped before it even started, that would be all the more ideal for stemming the overdose epidemic, too.
