The Risks Of Mixing Fentanyl And Alcohol & Its Side Effects

Alcohol’s Effects as a Depressant

What are Depressants? Depressants do not necessarily make someone feel depressed. The term refers to the way a substance affects the central nervous system. Depressants slow down or depress the function of the CNS. They do this by enhancing the effects of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA slows down messages between the brain and the body, producing a calming effect. Responses produced by the production of this neurotransmitter can range from feeling calm and relaxed to extremes such as falling unconscious.

Some substances like alcohol have both stimulant and depressant effects. Alcohol may have initial effects that mimic those of stimulants. However, it mainly slows the body down, making it a depressant. Alcohol slows the heart rate and breathing and dulls reflexes and response time through interactions with the central nervous system (CNS). In other words, it depresses multiple systems in the body that rely on communication with the CNS to function correctly. As a result, alcohol can cause slurred speech, disturbed perceptions, distorted judgment, lessening inhibitions, and an inability to react quickly.

As we’ve already mentioned, depressants slow down the central nervous system, which can cause someone to slur words and react slower to things. It also slows down the heart rate and decreases blood pressure.

But what are the other depressant effects of alcohol? They include:

In addition to these dangers, alcohol can make a medication less effective or even useless, or it may make the medication harmful or toxic to your body. Some medicines that you might never have suspected can react with alcohol, including many medications which can be purchased “over-the-counter”—that is, without a prescription. Even some herbal remedies can have harmful effects when combined with alcohol.

The Risks of Alcohol Misuse

Does alcohol cause depression? The relationship between alcohol and depression in terms of mental health is complicated. Just because a drug is considered a depressant doesn’t mean it directly causes depression. Being classified as a depressant only means a substance has depressant effects on the CNS. Still, alcoholism and depression are closely related. Depression increases the risk of alcohol and drug abuse as some people will abuse substances to cope with their depression. This is one reason so many individuals with alcoholism struggle with depression or other co-occurring mental disorders.

Who are the most at risk of mixing fentanyl and alcohol? Current research on undergraduate students found that 12.1% of people misused prescription drugs and alcohol. Also, 5% of current problem drinkers claim they mixed prescription and illegal drugs with alcohol, not including marijuana. 

The risk factors for fentanyl and alcohol abuse included the following:

• Being young, between the ages of 18 and 25.
• Being single
• Having a pattern of heavy drinking or binge drinking behaviors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 25.7% of adults aged 18 and over had at least one heavy drinking day (five or more for men and four or more drinks for women) in the past year. Moreover, 24,110 individuals died from alcohol liver damage due to alcohol-related liver disease. There were 29,043 alcohol-induced deaths in 2020, excluding accidents and homicides.

Alcohol liver damage or alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) is caused by heavy consumption of alcohol. The liver’s job is to break down alcohol. If you drink more than it can process, it can become badly damaged. Fatty liver can happen to anyone who drinks a lot. Alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis are associated with long-term alcohol abuse seen in alcoholics.

Alcohol and Fentanyl

Do not use alcohol or medications that contain alcohol while you are receiving treatment with fentanyl. This may increase nervous system side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness, difficulty concentrating, and impaired thinking and judgment. In severe cases, low blood pressure, respiratory distress, fainting, coma, or even death may occur.

Mixing fentanyl and alcohol, even one time, could kill you. This danger is because fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin — even a tiny amount of this powder is deadly. As alcohol heightens the effects of opiates, taking fentanyl and then consuming alcohol boosts your risk of severe bodily and mental damage and can cause you to overdose unintentionally. If you or a loved one are addicted to opioids like fentanyl, the last thing you want to do is reach for alcohol.

Fentanyl and Alcohol Interaction

Often sold illegally on the street, fentanyl is highly addictive, and continued use can wreak havoc on your body and mind in irreparable ways. A minimal dose of fentanyl can be deadly; even one-time use can kill you. Using fentanyl on its own can be fatal. Mixing fentanyl and alcohol increases that risk.

The effects of both fentanyl and alcohol depress your respiratory functioning, the high potency of fentanyl is often misunderstood, and you can quickly become psychologically and physically dependent on the two. Both fentanyl and alcohol are highly addictive substances that increase each other’s effects when taken concurrently. Short-term use of fentanyl and alcohol can land you in the hospital or worse.

Side Effects of Mixing Fentanyl and Alcohol

Fentanyl is typically used for severe pain and is commonly the painkiller of choice for major surgeries. However, even under medical supervision, prescribed use of fentanyl can cause loss of consciousness, hypoventilation, and coma when you combine alcohol, a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, the risk of death increases. Less lethal side effects of concurrent use of fentanyl and alcohol include:

Fentanyl and Alcohol Overdose 

As a result of the combined effects of the drugs, fentanyl and alcohol overdose can occur even after using relatively small doses. A fentanyl overdose can be amplified by alcohol, and the signs and symptoms can include:

Combining these substances can have long-term physical and mental health effects and may result in severe disability or loss of life.

Alcohol and Fentanyl Patches

All opiates are addictive. It doesn’t matter if you get them from a friend, a doctor’s prescription or just found them in your mother’s medicine cabinet. Those who use fentanyl illicitly either snort it, smoke it, ingest it in pill form or take it on blotter paper. It’s possible to obtain legal doses to use illicitly through injection or a fentanyl patch. Moreover, combining fentanyl and alcohol creates a hazard to the body’s systems, and it doesn’t matter what the method of delivery of the fentanyl is- whether fentanyl patch, nasal spray, or pills – the danger is still there.

What Can Happen When Mixing Fentanyl and Other Drugs?

Options for Fentanyl and Alcohol Treatment

First and foremost, if you think a loved one is abusing fentanyl and drinking alcohol, you should research the drug and its associated addiction to understand better what your loved one needs.  Next, you must plan an intervention to provide your loved ones with options to battle the effects of fentanyl abuse in a safe and supportive environment. During this intervention, offer compassion and support instead of judgment. Lastly, show your support throughout the entire treatment process.

In addition, prolonged fentanyl and alcohol consumption can have severe physical and psychological effects on you, so it is essential to seek treatment as soon as possible. Inpatient drug rehab offers intensive care that can help you promptly get through the early stages of fentanyl withdrawal. 

Fentanyl and Alcohol Detox Treatment

Medical detox is the process of weaning someone off of fentanyl and alcohol dependency. It allows members of fentanyl rehab centers like We Level Up to recover safely and comfortably. While an uncomfortable withdrawal from fentanyl is unavoidable, it doesn’t have to be unbearable.

Medical detox is often considered the first stage of treatment. It will help you navigate the complicated withdrawal from fentanyl but doesn’t address patterns of thought and behavior contributing to drug use. Various treatment approaches and settings can help provide the ongoing support necessary to maintain long-term sobriety after you complete detox.

Cravings are very common during detox and can be challenging to overcome. This often leads to relapse. Constant medical care provided during inpatient treatment helps prevent relapse. Clinicians can give necessary medication and medical expertise to lessen cravings and withdrawal effects from fentanyl.

Inpatient Fentanyl Rehab

There isn’t one treatment approach or style that will suit everyone. Treatment should speak to the needs of the individual. Inpatient fentanyl and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment aren’t just about drug and alcohol use. the goal is to help the patient stop using fentanyl and alcohol and other substances. Fentanyl and alcohol rehab should also focus on the whole person’s needs.

Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior. When someone or their family is considering different fentanyl treatment facilities, they should account for the complexity of addiction and the needs of the individual. The objective of attending an inpatient fentanyl and alcohol rehab center for addiction treatment is to stop using the drug and re-learn how to live a productive life without it.

Following a full medical detox from fentanyl, most people benefit from inpatient fentanyl rehab. Inpatient drug rehab can last anywhere from 28 days to several months. Patients stay overnight in the rehab facility and participate in intensive treatment programs and therapy. Once someone completes rehab, their addiction treatment team will create an aftercare program, including continuing therapy and participation in a 12-step program like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

Psychotherapy 

Many rehab programs will also have early morning classes or programs. Group sessions occur during inpatient rehab, as do individual therapy sessions. Family therapy may be part of inpatient rehab when it’s feasible. Alternative forms of therapy may be introduced during inpatient fentanyl rehab, like a holistic therapy program, yoga for addiction recovery, or an addiction treatment massage therapy.

Several different modalities of psychotherapy have been used in the treatment of mental health disorders along with addiction, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – is an effective treatment that involves changing both the patterns of negative thoughts and the behavioral routines which are affecting the daily life of the depressed person for various forms of depression.
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy – is a comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment program whose ultimate goal is to aid patients in their efforts to build a life worth living. The main goal of DBT is to help a person develop what is referred to as a “clear mind.” 
• Solution-focused therapy is an approach interested in solutions that can be quickly implemented with a simple first step leading to further positive consequences.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Drug abuse and mental health disorders often co-occur. In many cases, traumatic experiences can result in a mental health disorder and substance abuse. Dual diagnosis rehabilitation treats both of these issues together. The best approach for the treatment of dual diagnosis is an integrated system. This strategy treats both the substance abuse problem and the mental disorder simultaneously. Regardless of which diagnosis (mental health or substance abuse problem) came first, long-term recovery will depend mainly on the treatment for both diseases done by the same team or provider.