Crisis - Fentanyl How do we fight?Crisis - Fentanyl How do we fight?
Recovery Recharged with Ellen Stewart Pushy Broad from the Bronx
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 100,000 people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in 2021. A staggering 67 percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. What is fentanyl and why is it...
55:31•9 Aug 2023
Fentanyl Crisis: Straight Talk on Danger, Detox and Hope
Episode Overview
- Pharmaceutical fentanyl for surgery and cancer pain is tightly controlled, while street fentanyl is chemically altered, unpredictable and often mixed with other drugs.
- Early signs of fentanyl overdose include repeatedly nodding off, difficulty being roused, pinpoint pupils and slowed breathing, and should trigger an immediate 999/911 call.
- Naloxone (Narcan) can reverse opioid effects and is available free at pharmacies, making it a key tool for families living with opioid use.
- Illicit fentanyl’s long half-life makes withdrawal management complex; supervised detox with buprenorphine and comfort medications can ease the process and reduce risks.
- Stopping on your own may not address addiction as a brain disease; ongoing treatment and recovery work are needed to build sustainable abstinence and prevent relapse.
“There’s a lot of hope and everyone deserves to have a better life and a functional productive life in recovery.”
What insights can experts and survivors share about addiction? This episode of *Recovery Recharged with Ellen Stewart, Pushy Broad from the Bronx* zeroes in on the fentanyl crisis and how people can respond more safely and realistically. Ellen talks with Dr Ming Wang of Caron Treatment Centers, an addiction medicine specialist who sees fentanyl use on an almost daily basis.
Early on, he breaks down the basics: pharmaceutical fentanyl used in hospitals for surgery, cancer and severe pain versus illicit street fentanyl, which is chemically altered, far more unpredictable and often mixed with other substances like xylazine to cut costs and boost effects. You’ll hear clear explanations of how fentanyl works in the brain, why it brings powerful euphoria, and why that “good feeling” quickly gets overshadowed by respiratory depression and overdose risk.
Dr Wang notes that illicit fentanyl’s half-life can stretch up to 16 hours, making withdrawal and treatment far more complicated than with standard opioids. The conversation is practical and direct. Ellen asks the questions worried parents, partners and recovery seekers tend to have: what does fentanyl look like, how can you tell if someone’s overdosing, and what should you do in an emergency?
Dr Wang emphasises simple, lifesaving steps: “Any family members or friends who come across an individual displaying these symptoms should immediately call 911… and if they have Narcan, definitely use it.” They move into treatment, with Dr Wang explaining why medically supervised detox matters, how buprenorphine and micro-dosing strategies are used, and how comfort medications help people get through intense withdrawal.
He stresses that opioid withdrawal in otherwise healthy people “is not fatal… it can be very uncomfortable,” and that recovery must address body, mind and spirit. The episode closes on a hopeful note: “There’s a lot of hope and everyone deserves to have a better life and a functional productive life in recovery.” If you or someone you care about is worried about fentanyl, could this be the conversation that nudges you towards safer choices and proper help?
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