For more information on our programs and services, please visit our website or contact us directly. Together, we can overcome the challenges of addiction and build a healthier, drug-free future. The exact duration can vary based on factors such as the user’s metabolism, the amount used, and the frequency of use.

Risks of Nodding Off & Fentanyl Folding

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioids, contact our team at Moving Mountains Recovery. We’ll assess your needs, verify your insurance, and help you get started with the right treatment program for you. Whether you’ve seen the fold in real life or just heard about it online, now you know what it means.

• Specifically, at least 80% of overdoses are due to non-prescription substances.
• This depressant effect is dramatically stronger with Fentanyl, resulting in much more rapid and dramatic physical symptoms, such as “Fentanyl Fold” or severe “Nodding Off”.
• Fentanyl may cause serious harm or death if used accidentally by a child or by an adult who has not been prescribed the medication.
• As a prescription, fentanyl is available under the brand name Actiq, which is a throat lozenge, or Duragesic, a patch placed on the skin.
• The high risk of overdose and severe physical effects underscore the dangers of fentanyl use and the critical need for effective intervention and treatment.

This is different than treatments like naloxone, which reverse the effects after an overdose. Asian Americans had rates below the national average, at 3.1 deaths per 100,000 people — 1.0% of fentanyl deaths for a group that makes up 6.5% of the population. Indigenous people had the second highest overdose rate, at 28.5 deaths per 100,000 people, with white Americans third at 21.9 per 100,000. “It’s a degree of loss of consciousness and a degree of lost muscular control,” said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a UCSF professor of addiction medicine. When we stop seeing these images as strange or funny and start seeing them as symptoms of a medical emergency, we move toward compassion, awareness, and solutions. If you or a loved one struggles with opioid use, it’s a good idea to keep naloxone on hand.

Recognizing Fentanyl Symptoms Early

Fentanyl addiction is treated through detox, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), behavioral therapy, and long-term rehab programs. Detox addresses withdrawal safely under medical supervision, followed by MAT using buprenorphine or methadone to reduce cravings. Yes, long-term fentanyl use can contribute to permanent postural damage. Repeated episodes of collapsing into the fentanyl fold strain your spine, neck, and back muscles. Over time, this pressure leads to joint stiffness, nerve compression, or abnormal curvature.

Fentanyl Overdose

In fact, most fentanyl-related deaths are from fentanyl made in illegal laboratories. Fentanyl is heavily trafficked into the US from other countries and sold as pills or powders, and it has largely replaced heroin https://jobs.walnutschool.in/alcohol-nose-causes-symptoms-treatment-the/ in the drug supply. In some cases, these illicit formulations of fentanyl are made to look like other prescription opioid tablets. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin (DEA, n.d.).

• It works by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain.
• It works by blocking the effects of opiates to relieve dangerous symptoms caused by high levels of opiates in the blood.
• In an attempt to stabilize themselves and improve breathing, users might bend over involuntarily.
• Overdose rates have skyrocketed for nonmedical use, whether in those addicted or from accidental deaths.
• With support and treatment, people can recover from fentanyl addiction and live happily, fulfilling lives.

Understanding what is carfentanil—a substance even more powerful than fentanyl—helps illustrate the lethal danger of opioids. While using fentanyl, you should talk to your doctor about having a rescue medication called naloxone readily available (e.g., home, office). Naloxone is used to reverse the life-threatening effects of an overdose.

The result is a state of sedation so deep it can suppress consciousness and basic functions like breathing. While jarring to witness, the fenty fold has become a sad yet common phenomenon in cities like San Francisco and Baltimore, where fentanyl use has grown rampant alongside the growing nationwide trend. Chronic users of fentanyl can be stuck in this position for minutes to hours, with possible complications including decreased breath rate, poor circulation, and increased risk of falls and injuries.

The fentanyl fold is an increasingly common visual of the fentanyl crisis unfolding across the United States. From April 2024 to March 2025, the CDC reported 43,000 synthetic opioid deaths, most of which are from fentanyl, down from nearly 70,000 in the previous similar period. Always prioritize your health and safety, and do not hesitate to reach out for help if you are dealing with fentanyl addiction or other substance use issues.

How Do People Take Fentanyl?

This can result in misuse if someone removes the fenty lean gel contents from discarded patches. Doctors will only prescribe the fentanyl patch to people who are already tolerant of opioid therapy that is similar in strength. Fentanyl can continue to be effective after removing the patch, as the skin has already absorbed the drug.

What Is The “Fent Fold” Or “Fentanyl Lean”?

Due to the risk of the drug being mixed with other substances, it is now essential to obtain test strips, which can tell a person if fentanyl is present in the tested substance. ORE is a central collection of communication materials and educational resources about opioid misuse, addiction, treatment, and overdose prevention. Do not let anyone else use your medication, even if he or she has the same symptoms that you have.Selling or giving away this medication may cause severe harm or death to others and is against the law. If you suddenly stop using fentanyl, you may experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Fentanyl acts on opioid receptors that shape neural networks responsible for analgesia (pain relief) and pleasure and engage the brain’s reward pathway, fostering addiction.

Communities are now working to find ways to help people with addiction rather than just ignoring or criticizing them. Cities are trying to provide more treatment options, harm reduction services, and education to help people understand that addiction is a medical condition that needs treatment. At Recovery Guide, our mission is to connect as many individuals struggling with mental health and substance abuse disorders to reputable treatment facilities. Here, in front of you, a person desiring change, asking for it.

Fentanyl should be used along with your other pain medication(s). Do not stop taking your other pain medication(s) when you begin your treatment with fentanyl. If you stop taking your other pain medication(s) you will need to stop using fentanyl. The information contained on this website is not intended to be a substitute for, alcoholism treatment or to be relied upon as, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. “It’s a degree of loss of consciousness and a degree of lost muscular control,” Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a UCSF professor of addiction medicine, told ABC7 San Francisco.