The country is dealing with a drug epidemic that is at times difficult to decipher. From the use of prescription drugs for pain to the overprescription of these drugs, there are many times when it can seem like no drug is good drug. The reality, however, is that almost all drugs can be safely taken by the majority of Americans. When drugs are abuded, though, problems occur. And sometimes those problems are deadly. As a result health professionals find themselves in a situation where they are often having to explain the benefits of oxycodone, percocet, and other powerful resources to patients who are not intending abuse, while at the same having to navigate a slippery slope of users who are trying every trick in the book to get more of their drug of choice. This complex combination, in fact, makes today’s physician’s job more difficult that you might imagine.

Is Fentanyl an Opiate and Other Common Questions

As patients attempt to decipher the drug news that is on the internet and discussed on television, it should come as no surprise that there are all kinds of confusing questions. Is fentanyl an opiate? What are the signs of prescription substance abuse? What is Vicodin and how is it different from percocet? To begin with, it is important to note that fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is in many ways similar to morphie, except for one major difference. It is 50 to 100 times more potent. When it is administered by a health professional it is closely monitored. When it ends up on the street, unfortunately, it is a dangerous and deadly drug that dealers often mix in with others they are selling. The implications can be instant. For this reason, it is important that health professionals in hospitals as well as those paramedics working out on the streets are prepared for what they will encounter. When new hybrid drugs are being created all of the time, however, this can be a challenge.

This confusion between the question is fentanyl an opiate and should I ever take a powerful narcotic for prescription pain relief is a challenge that is increasingly common in today’s life on the street and, unfortunately, in the hospital. Trying to correctly medicate the non abusing patient who has heard nothing but the bad news on the internet and over traditional media can be a major challenge. So, to can trying to track a patient who is merely going from one clinic to another trying to get their hands on their next high.

There is a significant amount of research that indicates that changes to government recommendations, as well as aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies, have led to a dramatic increase in the last 25 years in prescriptions of oxycodone for long-term with chronic pain for many patients. It is important, of course, that this research does not prevent the patient who needs a powerful pain killer from getting the best medication option.

Interestingly enough, this confusion about is fentanyl an opiate that will lead to addiction and other current concerns are not the only time when something that is intended for good has been used for bad. From power of politicians to exercise, we Americans, in fact, all people around the world, have a talent of turning the very best of things into the very worst of things.

Take exercise, for example. Although there are a near majority of Americans who do not get enough exercise, there are are others who take this activity to a dangerous extreme. While some Americans are happy to get a mere 30 minutes of recommended activity even three times a week, there are others who become so obsessed with exercising that they can cause damage to themselves. From people with eating disorders who use their exercise as a way to disguise their struggle to weight lifters who add steroids to their daily routines of lifting insane amounts, too much of anything can be a problem.
All of us need to find a way to control our impulses. It is just that some of us have impulses that put our health at risk and even danger others.