Are you bipolar or an addict looking for insight from a like-minded soul? Have a loved one suffering from bipolar or addiction and want some inside advice? While I’m not a doctor or medical expert, I can tell you about my experiences with this dual diagnosis and look to support others with replies. Note that your submission may be used in an upcoming blog post, although names will be changed.
This week, Tom M. writes…
I know Prince overdosed on it, but what exactly is fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 40 to 50 times stronger than pure heroin. Its purpose is to alleviate chronic pain, but a growing number of people are using it recreationally. Airborne, in powder form, 100-percent-pure fentanyl can be deadly. One whiff could kill you.
According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were involved in 5,554 overdose deaths in 2014, a 79-percent increase over 2013.
Fentanyl is usually administered as a patch—kind of like a nicotine patch—to late-stage cancer patients. The patches slowly release the drug through the skin and into the bloodstream and are used for long-lasting pain management. Fentanyl can manifest as a spray and even comes in lollipop form—referred to as a “percopop” on the street—that is sold for anywhere from $15 to $50 a “pop” at a skid row near you.
Intravenous fentanyl is sometimes used for anesthesia, for which it was first used in the U.S. in the 1960s.
It is unknown which version of fentanyl Prince was ingesting.
The side effects of this powerful medication are numerous. Diarrhea. Dry mouth. Nausea. Constipation. Weakness. Sweating. And sometimes anxiety, depression, and hallucinations, among others.
When not used for medical purposes, certain strains of fentanyl are classified by the DEA as Schedule I narcotic opioids.
In recent years, there has been a groundswell of overdose deaths. This is because heroin, cocaine, and counterfeit prescription drugs are often laced with fentanyl in order to hook the user faster or to spice up poor-quality heroin or coke.
Recreationally, fentanyl is snorted, smoked, or injected, or even ingested via the lollipop form. The mixture of heroin and fentanyl is known as “magic” or “the bomb” when you buy it on the street and is usually manufactured in Mexico or China.
The powder is so dangerous that NYPD narcotics officers have halted field tests on heroin because of the risk of potential fentanyl poisoning due to exposure to the skin or lungs. Instead, they send the drugs off to a more secure police lab, where it can be tested safely.
It is unknown what form of fentanyl Prince may have been using, legally or not. He’d reported symptoms of hip pain, due to decades of dancing onstage in high heels. Earlier this month it was revealed that it was fentanyl that killed The Purple One. Without fentanyl, or if there was an alternative, Prince might still be partying like it’s 1999.
