Concerning drugs, one of the most important things for people to know about them is their half lives. Among the many prescription pain relievers, fentanyl packs the most punch and has resulted in many people’s need for painkiller drug rehab. The more that people know about this powerful painkiller, the better that they understand its dangers. To start with, they can learn the answer to the question, “What is the half life of fentanyl?”
What Does Half Life Mean?
Half life refers to how long that it takes the body to metabolize and eliminate half a dose of medication. Let’s take a common drug such as ibuprofen or Advil. Its half life is two hours.
Let’s say that a woman takes 200 milligrams of ibuprofen at 1 p.m. When 3 p.m roles around, her body has already eliminated nearly 100 milligrams. By 5 p.m., her body has eliminated the medicine from her bloodstream.
Despite this, the half life of a drug varies from person to person. Weight, age, and genetics all play a role in how quickly the body eliminates drugs. The half life also varies depending on the type of drugs that they take. Time-release drugs, for example, take longer to filter out of people’s systems.
What Is the Half Life of Fentanyl?
Like any drug, the half life of fentanyl depends on how people administer the medication. In general, taking fentanyl orally lasts between two and four hours for an adult. If people use a fentanyl patch, though, the half life is closer to seven hours.
After taking fentanyl orally, people with addiction won’t experience withdrawal until the drug runs it course. With a two- to four-hour half life, symptoms can start around four to eight hours after the last dose. For people who used patches, it can take up to 14 hours before withdrawal begins.
People continue to experience withdrawal long after the body processes out all of the fentanyl. In most cases, the symptoms begin to peak at around the 72-hour mark of withdrawal. With that said, people can continue to have minor side effects for days or even weeks.
Let Us Help You With Fentanyl Addiction
Do you need a fentanyl drug rehab program? If so, consider getting help at a high-quality addiction treatment center that can give you more information about what is the half life of fentanyl. Look for a facility with gender-specific treatment to ensure that you receive the attention to detail that you need. Some of the other programs and services to look for include:
- Hypnotherapy
- Holistic treatment
- Group and individual counseling
- Residential rehab program
- Trauma therapy
- Aggressive eating disorder program
Don’t let this powerful painkiller ruin your life. Learn more about what is the half life of fentanyl today. Reach out to a fentanyl drug rehab center today.
