This binding action creates a sense of euphoria and profound relaxation, but it also significantly depresses the central nervous system. According to the Texas Health and Human Services, just 2 milligrams can be enough to cause an overdose in some individuals. Seeing someone in a “fentanyl slump” is a significant medical emergency. It indicates a dangerously high level of opioid intoxication, often accompanied by severe respiratory depression. Immediate medical attention, including the administration of naloxone (Narcan), is critical to prevent overdose and death. Beyond muscle rigidity, medical experts and addiction specialists propose a strong link to the profound central nervous system depression induced by opioids.
Can the fentanyl fold lead to long-term physical injuries?
Over the last decade, as more states expanded Medicaid coverage under provisions of the Affordable Care Act, the program emerged as the leading source of insurance coverage for high-quality addiction treatment in the United States. This kind of effort to combat one drug ultimately leading another to emerge would not be without precedent. Dasgupta cited the “Iron Law of Prohibition,” which holds that drug markets begin to favor new products that are easier to trade, and potentially more potent, when law enforcement on a more common product intensifies. This dynamic was seen roughly ten years ago when heroin was largely replaced by fentanyl, which now dominates its predecessor in the U.S. market, Dasgupta explains. And nitazenes’ presence in the market—as well as their involvement in overdose deaths—is likely being underreported, because the technology needed to identify them isn’t widely used in autopsies, posing unique problems for their detection.
How does social media contribute to the stigma surrounding the fentanyl fold?
That’s why even “non-lethal” folds require follow-up care and neurological evaluation. While more research is needed on the causes of fentanyl fold, it is clear that it is an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous side-effect of fentanyl use. “It’s very hard to look at the budget framework created by Republicans and imagine a scenario other than Medicaid being cut severely,” said Stanford University’s Keith Humphreys speaking with NPR last month.
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You feel numb, detached, or euphoric, but basic functions like breathing, movement, and alertness become suppressed. The effect is fast and overwhelming due to fentanyl’s strength and speed of action. If you or someone you love may be experiencing the fentanyl fold, don’t wait. If you or someone you love is struggling with opioids, contact our team at Moving Mountains Recovery.
One of the most dangerous effects of fentanyl is respiratory depression. The drug significantly slows down breathing, sometimes to a life-threatening level. Reduced oxygen intake can make users feel dizzy and lightheaded, causing them to bend over as a subconscious attempt to stabilize themselves and breathe more easily. Moreover, fentanyl’s severe impact on respiratory function contributes to this behavior. The drug can cause significant respiratory depression, leading to dizziness and lightheadedness.
- Nodding off is a physical condition that is a direct result of the depressant effect Fentanyl has on the human body’s central nervous system.
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- Fatal fentanyl overdoses nearly doubled in teens between 2019 to 2021.
- The combination of rigid trunk muscles and weakened supporting muscles creates the characteristic forward bend.
- During a fentanyl high, your brain is flooded with dopamine while your central nervous system slows down.
Fentanyl binds rapidly to opioid receptors, overpowering normal muscle tone and disrupting balance. Your body enters a state where maintaining posture becomes neurologically impossible without awareness or control. With support and treatment, people can recover from fentanyl addiction and live happily, fulfilling lives. Enrolling in a drug rehab program is a vital step on the road to sobriety. Below are some of the most common treatment options for people with fentanyl addiction. The fent fold position itself can make overdoses more dangerous because it can make breathing even harder.
A lethal dose requires just two milligrams of the drug—an amount roughly equivalent to ten to fifteen grains of table salt. Disruptions to supply chains forced people to turn to drugs they were less familiar with, and social-distancing measures led more people to take drugs alone, which brings a greater risk of overdosing, analysts say. During Joe Biden’s presidency, as U.S.-China relations deteriorated, Beijing allowed the precursor trade to go largely unchecked. Nancy Pelosi, then House speaker, visited Taiwan over Beijing’s objections in 2022, which led Chinese leaders to refuse even discussing fentanyl with Washington. The next year, Biden ramped up pressure by adding China to an official list of the world’s most egregious purveyors of illicit drugs.
Fentanyl victims’ families celebrate Trump’s action against drug epidemic: ‘Milestone for saving lives’
Users appear to be “frozen” in a bent-over position, often with their upper body folded forward at an extreme angle, sometimes nearly touching their knees. This stance can last for extended periods, sometimes hours, while the person remains semi-conscious but largely unresponsive to their surroundings. Yes, the fentanyl fold is very dangerous because https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-is-the-fentanyl-fold/ it often means fentanyl levels are high enough to slow breathing and cut oxygen supply to the brain. When someone is bent forward in a fentanyl fold, their stiff chest and torso muscles can limit lung movement, making each breath smaller. At the same time, fentanyl affects the brain’s control of breathing, slowing it even more. Together, these effects can quickly cause oxygen levels to plummet, leading to overdose – and, without immediate help, death.
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While fentanyl addiction is extremely serious and potentially deadly, Sober living house recovery is possible with proper treatment and support. The fentanyl fold and other signs of intoxication represent opportunities for intervention and the beginning of a recovery journey. This theory is discounted by some researchers I talk to, but many addiction experts think it’s a factor.
