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Fentanyl addiction help in New Jersey.
Fentanyl addiction typically results indirectly through use of other substances. Fentanyl is much stronger than heroin or morphine and is used to strengthen heroin and other street drugs. The unpredictability of fentanyl represents the primary reason you should seek medical support when you decide you want to stop using.
- Medically monitored detox, with medication to manage withdrawal
- Short- and long-term residential treatment and co-occurring disorders treatment
- A long track record of success - we've helped New Jerseyans get sober for 50+ years
- Low to no cost - Medicaid accepted, plus most major insurance
- Compassion and Empathy - No judgment, no pressure, no obligation
Key points
- Fentanyl is significantly stronger than heroin or morphine, and deadly in micro-amounts.
- Fentanyl unknowingly shows up in counterfeit pills and in other street drugs like cocaine/crack.
- Fentanyl is unpredictable due to its potency and variability of concentration in other substances and accordingly has driven the massive increase in overdose deaths nationwide.
- Fentanyl’s unpredictability represents the primary reason tapering and stopping at home should be avoided.
- Methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone are the approved treatments for opioid use disorder, and starting one during detox or residential helps to reduce cravings, allow you to focus on changing your behaviors and coping mechanisms and ultimately helps you remain in treatment longer to build a solid recovery foundation.
The short answer
Where can I get treatment for fentanyl addiction in New Jersey?
Turning Point provides medically monitored opioid detox and residential treatment in Paterson, New Jersey, including medication assisted treatment for fentanyl and other opioids. We're a nonprofit and a Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility certified facility, we take most major insurance, and admissions can usually tell you what you're eligible for on the first call.
What fentanyl is, and why it behaves differently.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, made entirely in a lab rather than from the opium poppy plant. As a prescription medicine it treats severe pain, and used that way it works. Most of the fentanyl driving the overdose crisis is made illegally, and it is much more potent than morphine or heroin, with effects that start faster (NIDA). As little as 2 mg, about the size of a few grains of salt, can be a fatal dose.
Potency by itself isn't the whole problem. The problem is that potency this high can't be measured by the person taking it. Fentanyl is mixed into heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and the veterinary sedative xylazine, and it's pressed into counterfeit pills made to look like prescription painkillers, anxiety medication or ADHD medication (NIDA). Those pills can be indistinguishable from the real thing.
A lot of people who are physically dependent on fentanyl today started out taking what they believed was something else. If that's your situation, the part worth hearing is that it changes nothing about what treatment looks like or whether it works. Dependence is dependence. How you arrived at it doesn't change the care.
Why the risk got so much harder to judge.
Illegally made fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have been a major driver of overdose deaths in the United States since 2013. Since 2017 most of those deaths have involved more than one drug (NIDA). Taking two substances together, whether on purpose or unknowingly, raises the risk of an overdose.
Test strips are the only way to check a drug or pill for fentanyl, since you cannot tell by looking, tasting, or smelling it. This however is limited. Fentanyl is not evenly distributed through a batch or dose, so a negative strip isn't necessarily a valid reading. Additionally, related compounds like carfentanil, an even stronger synthetic opioid than fentanyl, are often missed.
Stopping fentanyl on your own is dangerous.
Fentanyl withdrawal feels like a traditional the opioid withdrawal: aching muscles and bones, stomach cramps, nausea, sweating, runny nose and eyes, goosebumps, and a restlessness that makes sleep almost impossible. For short acting opioids it usually begins eight to 24 hours after the last dose and the acute phase runs for about 4 to 10 days. With fentanyl, the timing of when detox starts often doesn't match what someone may have experienced from past detox experiences, which is one reason our clinical team asks what you've been using and how recently.
Turning Point customizes your protocols based on your use history and often employs the use of alternative medications like Belbuca and “comfort meds” to ease your way through the first couple of unpredictable days of your detox.
Opioid withdrawal is not usually life threatening on its own, unlike alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal. Two things that make it dangerous are dehydration from days of vomiting and diarrhea and the drop in tolerance that makes going back to a familiar amount so much more likely to be fatal. Tapering increases your risk of overdose through the continued use of heroin (fentanyl) which is why detoxing in a medically monitored environment is so important.
If someone is unresponsive, breathing slowly or not at all, or their lips or fingertips look blue or gray, call 911 and give naloxone if you have it.
What treatment looks like at Turning Point.
Medically monitored detox
Usually, the first step is 24/7 medically monitored detox. A variety of medications are used to ease your withdrawal symptoms. Every patient is treated individually to ensure a tailored and more effective approach addresses your unique profile. During the detox process, the drugs and alcohol leave your system, preparing you for the next stage in your recovery journey, most typically a transfer to our residential programs. All of our programs are located in our Paterson facility, so internal transfer is seamless.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
Turning Point uses all forms of MAT: methadone, buprenorphine (Subs and injectables), and naltrexone are the most common approved options, each working through different routes. Two reduce cravings and withdrawal by acting on the same receptors, and one blocks the effect entirely (SAMHSA). We will work with you and assess your use and treatment history and make the appropriate recommendation that fits your profile.
Residential treatment
During residential treatment, Turning Point works with you to assess your behaviors, decision making, life skills, family relations and thought processes that led to your substance use. You live onsite and receive structured, around-the-clock support to begin to address your substance abuse, and in parallel your mental health or medical issues requiring further stabilization. Short-term is typically 2–4 weeks and long-term is typically 3–6 months.
Co-occurring disorders and medical stability
While you are in residential treatment, Turning Point will assess you from a mental and physical health perspective to determine the severity and treatment necessary for any disorders that may interfere with your sobriety. These will be built into your treatment plan and addressed accordingly.
Request a callback
Talk it through before you stop.
Stopping fentanyl on your own is dangerous, so the first step is a conversation. Leave your details and our admissions team will call you back to talk through medically monitored detox and medication options. Free and confidential.
Covered more often than people expect.
We're a nonprofit and a Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility certified facility. We'll check your coverage for free, while you're on the phone, before you commit to anything.
Fentanyl treatment questions.
I did not know I was taking fentanyl. Does that change the admissions process?
No. Tell our admissions and clinical teams what you believe you've been taking, including anything you're unsure about, because it changes how detox is managed. We will test for a wide variety of substances upon admission to validate and verify your use and to adapt your detox protocol to you.
How long does fentanyl withdrawal last?
For short acting opioids, symptoms usually start eight to twenty-four hours after the last dose and the acute phase runs for about four to ten days. Onset varies based on your usage patterns and often can extend your detox timeline. Sleep, mood and cravings often take weeks longer to settle, which is why detox alone is rarely enough.
Do I have to stop before I call?
No. You are not expected, nor should you arrive already detoxed — and you can be at any point in usage to start your protocol. Our admissions team will ask what you've been using, how much and when was your last use, so our clinical team can plan your detox safely and accordingly.
Will my insurance cover fentanyl rehab in New Jersey?
Yes. We accept Medicaid and most major insurances; there are state funding options available and even a self-pay sliding scale option if necessary. Our admissions team checks your coverage for free on the first call.
Is this confidential?
Yes. Addiction treatment records are protected under 42 CFR Part 2, which is stricter than HIPAA fully protecting your confidentiality from whomever you choose including your employer or family.
Methadone
What if I am on methadone?
If you are currently using methadone as your MAT option, Turning Point can accommodate you at all levels of care. Suburban Health (a methadone clinic) is co-located in our Paterson location, making admissions and treatment continuity a snap. We are able to detox you off other substances, stabilize your dose and adjust your dose while in residential treatment.
More about methadone treatment →You can start with one phone call.
You don't have to have decided anything yet. Call and ask what your options are, and we'll tell you straight, including if we're not the right fit.