Rehab Centers in Alabama Face Dangerous New Drug Craze
A new substance that could have serious implications for public health has found its way to Central Alabama and is linked to at least two deaths in Jefferson County. The drug is a combination of heroin and carfentanil, the latter of which is a tranquilizer commonly used on large animals.
As this latest drug craze continues to spread across the state, rehab centers in Alabama may see an influx in new patients who want to overcome their dependency on this dangerous combination.
If you or someone you know has started using heroin in Alabama and have questions about how to safely overcome addiction, call our helpline at 888-414-2380. We can discuss your options for local rehab centers and guide you along the path to sobriety.
Heroin and Carfentanil: A Dangerous Combination
This new combination drug is said to be 10,000 times more powerful than morphine on its own, according to Central Alabama news sources. Users who aren’t familiar with the drug’s effects can overdose easily without knowing, and are at greater risk for death.
Local dealers are adding the tranquilizer to amplify the effects of heroin, and aren’t informing buyers about what they’re getting, says a spokesperson from the Addiction Prevention Coalition.
Additionally, healthcare providers are finding that common antidotes aren’t always effective at helping patients who overdose on the heroin-tranquilizer drug. The antidote, known as Narcan, is sometimes unable to overcome the drug’s high potency levels.
Individuals who abuse heroin and carfentanil can go on to experience one or more of the following long-term health problems:
- Weakened immune system
- Insomnia
- Respiratory illnesses
- Gum disease
- Muscle weakness or paralysis
- Loss of appetite
- Itching
- Cold sweats
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Constipation
- Menstrual irregularities
- Loss of sexual libido
- Loss of memory
- Coma
- Death
To avoid and lower your risk for health problems if you take the heroin-tranquilizer drug, find a nearby rehab center in Alabama that can help you get back on the path to healthy living and sobriety. Call our helpline at 888-414-2380 for assistance with finding a local rehab center near you.
How Heroin Rehab Centers Can Help
Heroin dependency is highly difficult to overcome; don’t try to combat addiction on your own without getting help. If you’ve become addicted to heroin, morphine, or another opiate that has been mixed with another substance, seeking treatment from a heroin rehab center is your best solution. Heroin rehab centers can prescribe a synthetic opiate known as methadone to help curb and minimize withdrawal symptoms.
Heroin alters brain chemicals in a way that makes users mentally and physically dependent on the drug, which often leads to addiction. When users stop taking heroin, they can experience one or more severe withdrawal symptoms as their bodies try to regain good health and balance. But methadone can help minimize withdrawal symptoms from any opiate, including heroin.
Heroin withdrawal symptoms may include one or more of the following:
- Vomiting and/or nausea
- Abdominal cramps
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Muscle and bone aches
- Runny nose
- Shaking
- Sweats
- Chills
- Insomnia
- Concentration problems
- Depression
- Anxiety
- High blood pressure
- Rapid heart rate
- Breathing problems
Over time, rehab centers will slowly taper patients off methadone so they’re no longer dependent on opioids of any kind. Patients can then resume their lives with sobriety and a clear head so they can move on to accomplish their next biggest goal.
Rehab centers in Alabama are aware of this dangerous new drug craze, and can help you or someone you love overcome dependency on heroin, or heroin mixed with other substances.
Call our helpline at 888-414-2380 for more information about Alabama rehab centers and treatment programs that can help you achieve lifelong sobriety, good health, and long-lasting happiness.