By We Level Up NJ Treatment Center | Editor Yamilla Francese | Clinically Reviewed By Lauren Barry, LMFT, MCAP, QS, Director of Quality Assurance | Editorial Policy | Research Policy | Last Updated: April 25, 2023

What Does Fentanyl Look Like Background

What Is Fentanyl? 

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid analgesic similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more powerful. It is a Schedule II controlled substance [1] and is medically used to treat patients with severe pain or manage pain after surgery. In its prescription form, fentanyl is known as Duragesic, Actiq, and Sublimaze. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) [2], fentanyl may be habit-forming. As a result, taking certain medications with fentanyl may increase the risk of developing severe or life-threatening breathing problems, sedation, or coma. What does Fentanyl look like? many forms of illicit fentanyl don’t have a specific characteristic like color, taste, or odor to help you confirm it’s the drug. 

The most recent fentanyl overdose and death cases in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl. It is sold through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect. It is often blended with heroin and cocaine as a combination drug —with or without the user’s knowledge—to increase its euphoric effects. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [3], rates of overdose deaths involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs (carfentanil) increased by over 16% from 2018 to 2019. More than 36,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, in 2019.

How Long Does Fentanyl Stay In Your System?

How long does fentanyl stay in your system for? This is a common question that many abusers of the drug may have. Since fentanyl can be administered in many ways, the administration method determines how long the effects last and how long they may stay in your system.

When someone who suffers from an addiction to this drug suddenly stops using it, fentanyl withdrawal symptoms can occur.

It is important to remember that recovery from fentanyl addiction takes much more than simply ending drug use. The underlying causes of the addiction and the mental illness from the addiction itself must be addressed for the best chances of successful fentanyl addiction treatment and recovery.

Fentanyl Statistics

Most current fentanyl-related overdose cases are associated with illegally produced fentanyl, sold on the black market for illicit drugs due to its heroin-like effects. Due to its tremendous potency, it is frequently combined with other drugs, making them more potent, addictive, and hazardous.

---

---

How Long Does Rainbow Colored Fentanyl Stay In Your System?

If you are wondering, “what does rainbow fentanyl look like?’, the answer is that rainbow fentanyl resembles brightly colored sidewalk chalk. Your body can retain rainbow colored fentanyl for up to 72 hours. Fentanyl is only detectable in the body for a short period of time, but drug traces linger in the body for much longer.

Several variables also influence fentanyl’s duration in your body:

• Dose
• Frequency of use
• Use duration
• Administration method
• Metabolism speed
• Your weight
• Age
• Gender
• Kidney and liver functioning
• Urine concentration 

Fentanyl and fentanyl candy pills can be detected through drug tests between 24 and 82 hours after the previous usage. Hair tests can identify “norfentanyl”, a metabolite produced when fentanyl breaks down in the body for up to 96 hours or even three months.

Urine Test – The most popular form of drug testing employers utilize is urine testing. This drug test can detect fentanyl between one to three days after use.

Blood Test – Fentanyl will appear on a blood test between 5 and 48 hours after the last use. Due to fentanyl’s short average blood half-life of 12 hours, blood tests aren’t considered reliable for detecting this drug.

Hair Test – Because a hair test is more expensive than other tests, it is less frequently used. However, it can identify fentanyl or other opioids for up to three months after the last use.

Saliva Tests – Saliva testing is not considered reliable in detecting fentanyl addiction. This is because saliva tests cannot reliably detect fentanyl or its metabolites.

How Long Does Fentanyl Stay in Your System After Surgery?

Patients who have extreme pain after surgery frequently receive fentanyl. Fentanyl can be administered intravenously, topically, or as cough drop-like lozenges. Fentanyl is also offered illicitly through eye drops, nasal sprays, tablets, powder, blotter paper, and nasal sprays resembling other prescription opioids.

How long does fentanyl stay in your system for? Fentanyl has a half-life of about 219 minutes or just over 3.5 hours. This indicates that fentanyl typically stays in your system for 6 to 7 hours, with around half flushed out after 3.5 hours. The distribution and redistribution time of the fentanyl type consumed, however, can alter this. Additionally, fentanyl addicts require higher drug dosages to achieve the same high due to their increased tolerance to standard doses.

Although fentanyl is a lethal narcotic, people still use it. Sadly, the opioid pandemic has contributed to increased fentanyl usage and overdose deaths in the US from opioids. Despite the negative side effects of abusing fentanyl, quitting without expert assistance is practically impossible due to physical dependence.

How To Know If It’s Real Fentanyl vs. Fake Fentanyl?

What does fentanyl look like? Illicitly manufactured fentanyl can be in powder or tablet form. Fentanyl powder is placed on blotter paper, nasal sprays, or eye droppers. Color varies from off-white to light brown, similar to illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine. Fentanyl can also be found in counterfeit pills resembling real prescription opioids.

Fentanyl can be difficult to identify, especially when mixed with other drugs. However, there are a few steps you can do to spot fentanyl:

What Are the Signs that Someone is Using Fentanyl?

Some of the signs someone is on fentanyl or abusing fentanyl include:

While the above are signs of someone taking fentanyl, long-term effects also develop if someone chronically abuses the drug. These include gastrointestinal problems, a weakened immune system, and potential seizures. With the chronic use of fentanyl, sedative effects may also increase over time. You may also notice someone is on fentanyl if they go through behavioral or mental changes, including paranoia, social withdrawal, a loss of motivation, or other personal changes.

What Does Fentanyl Look Like In Weed?

Recently, fentanyl-laced narcotics have circulated in America’s illegal drug trade. Lacing any drug — including cannabis — with fentanyl increases the risk of an overdose. Whether fentanyl-laced cannabis is real or common remains the subject of controversy. As fentanyl is more expensive than cannabis, it is unlikely that a person will routinely encounter cannabis with fentanyl.

No scientific data would validate the assumption [that fentanyl-laced weed is causing widespread fatalities] thus far. However, Narcan is a drug to treat opioid overdose and can save a person’s life. Carrying it is beneficial for anyone who has concerns about overdose. The high opioid overdose rate means anyone can encounter someone who has overdosed.

It can be challenging to determine if marijuana is laced with another drug or substance. Different strains of marijuana have different colors. They also have different smells and tastes. A suspicious color or pungent smell may be a warning sign for laced weed. People who use recreational marijuana claim that rubbing marijuana against a CD shouldn’t cause scratches. If the weed scratches the CD, it may contain glass. But many impurities are undetectable by do-it-yourself tests.

Fentanyl And Overdose

The most frequently used medicines in overdose deaths are fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. It can be fatal even in small doses. Every day, approximately 150 individuals pass away from opiate overdoses caused by synthetic drugs like fentanyl.

Fentanyl may be present in drugs at lethal amounts, yet you can’t detect it through sight, taste, or smell. Without testing your drugs using fentanyl test strips, it is practically impossible to determine if they have been laced with the opioid.

Test strips can be the difference between life and death because they are cheap and often provide findings in 5 minutes. Be cautious even if the test returns negative because test strips might not pick up stronger fentanyl analogs like carfentanil.

Signs Of Overdose

A life can be saved by identifying the symptoms of an opioid overdose. What to look for includes the following:

• “Pinpoint pupils” with small, tight pupils
• Losing consciousness or going to sleep
• Breathing that is sluggish, feeble, or nonexistent
• Gurgling or choking noises
• Lethargy and/or clammy skin
• Skin coloration (especially in lips and nails)

What To Do If You Think Someone Is Overdosing

It could be difficult to detect whether someone is high or suffering from an overdose. Treat it like an overdose; you might save a life if unsure.

1. Dial 911 right away.
2. If naloxone is available, administer it.
3. Try to keep the person breathing and aware.
4. To avoid choking, turn the person over onto their side.
5. As soon as help is on the way, stay with the person.

How Is Fentanyl Addiction Treated?

First and foremost, if you think that a loved one is abusing fentanyl, you should first 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 one with options to battle their addiction in a safe and supportive environment. During this intervention, offer compassion and support instead of judgment. Lastly, offer your support throughout the entire treatment process.

Clearing fentanyl from the body and overcoming fentanyl withdrawal symptoms is the goal of detox, which is the first treatment step for fentanyl addiction. Here at We Level Up NJ, a comprehensive team prescribing medications as part of our medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program aims to alleviate your fentanyl withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours during the detox. We prioritize your safety and comfort because this is a fragile and challenging time for you.

Once detox is complete, a new treatment doorway opens up, referred to as an inpatient drug rehab or residential level of care. Our residential care program slowly and effectively introduces the individual into an atmosphere of therapeutic growth, marked by master’s level therapists, clinicians, group counselors, psychiatrists, and a community of like-minded individuals with the same aim: to attain sobriety and live a great life.

Some of the many modalities applied and practiced within our residential treatment facility are:

FAQs On Fentanyl