Is Prescription Opioid Regulation Contributing to the Rise in Fentanyl Overdoses?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- United Recovery Project (URP) is a luxury drug and alcohol rehab center focused on offering new hope to addicts. URP's holistic, compassionate approach to rehab leans on maintenance drugs as little as possible throughout the recovery process. This has led company co-founder Bryan Alzate to come down hard on the ongoing prescription drug crisis.

Doctors used to hand out prescription opioids by the handful. Anyone could get a prescription for powerful drugs like oxycontin and Roxicodone — and for a reasonable price, too. The fact that Big Pharma companies sold these as "less harmful" and "less addictive" didn't do anyone any favors, either.

This dangerous combination led to a major backlash in recent years, with pharma company Purdue serving as the poster child of the entire affair. As recently as October of 2020, a multi-state lawsuit against the misleading drug company led Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen to say, "The abuse and diversion of prescription opioids has contributed to a national tragedy of addiction and deaths, in addition to those caused by illicit street opioids."

While justice is being at least partially served in the courtroom, though, that doesn't erase the enormous path of destruction left in the wake of the scandal. Countless lives were shattered by new, unforeseen opioid addictions. In addition, doctors, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical companies were hit with fines and blanketed with fresh regulations.

Of course, these regulations were absolutely necessary for the long-term betterment of society. However, they only made matters worse for those who were suddenly left to manage their ongoing addictions on their own.

Caught in the crossfire, many turned to the streets for an answer. However, drug dealers were also busy struggling with their own pandemic-induced supply shortages. Unable to come up with pure drugs, many began peddling synthetic options that used strong, cheap alternative ingredients like fentanyl.

The worst part is that many drugs were laced with fentanyl without the user being aware. This made dangers like overdosing easier than ever before. Bryan Alzate, CEO and co-founder of the luxury drug rehab center United Recovery Project, explains that drugs are constantly being laced with fentanyl, whether users know it or not. "The days of doing opiates for 20 years are over," says the CEO, who himself has already spent over 13 years in recovery, "There aren't any more old heroin addicts like there were in the 70s. People are trying opiates and now they are dead within three years unless they get clean. Fentanyl has shorted the life expectancy of an entire generation"

In other words, as individuals are cut off from prescription opioids, they are turning to street drugs. Rather than getting heroin, though, they have no idea what they're consuming. Dealers are pressing fake pills laced with fentanyl, and you can't even tell — and if the synthetic is present, well, it doesn't take much fentanyl to kill.

In fact, according to a recent public safety alert from the Drug Enforcement Administration, "DEA laboratory testing reveals a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a lethal dose. A deadly dose of fentanyl is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil."

All of this equates to the drug version of Russian roulette. Every dose laced with fentanyl has the very real potential of being too much for the body to handle. This has naturally led to a massive spike in overdose rates.

Rubbing salt in the wound, many of the same pharma companies that helped to manufacture the ongoing tragedy are getting by very well as they create regulated opioid options such as Suboxone to "help" the addicts that they hurt in the first place. Alzate wonders if this is truly beneficial or we're just watching the entire crisis reboot itself from square one as consumers blindly trust their doctors who prescribe officially "sanctioned" opioids.

This is where United Recovery Project comes into the picture. The luxury drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in South Florida offers a better way to escape the chains of addiction. For URP, maintenance drugs are the absolute last resort and should only be associated with tapering addiction and managing withdrawal symptoms when necessary.

Instead, URP offers a safe environment to escape addiction entirely (rather than shift from one drug to another.) Its low client-to-staff ratio, hope-filled surroundings, and plethora of program options enables addicts to truly find the personalized help and encouragement that they need.

URP is aware of the cyclical destruction of prescription opioid drugs, and it's looking to rewrite the script. From its committed staff to its experienced CEO, the rehab center is offering a genuine way out for anyone struggling with substance abuse. The question that must be asked is when the pharmaceutical world will also wake up to the reality that replacing one drug with another never equates to long-term, sustainable recovery.

About United Recovery Project: URP was founded in 2016 in Hollywood, Florida. The addiction treatment program prides itself on offering an all-inclusive selection of programs that can be tailored to each client's needs. URP is in the process of expanding to other states as well, where it hopes to offer ongoing substance abuse help to those who need it as well as their loved ones. Learn more at unitedrecoveryproject.com.

Please direct inquiries to:
Lily Zupan
(954) 873-7255
[email protected] 

SOURCE United Recovery Project