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The Silent Crisis: Fentanyl Overdoses in Young Children

The fentanyl epidemic in the United States has reached alarming levels with young children, including infants as young as 10 months, falling victim to fatal overdoses. Reports from 2021 indicate that seven children under the age of two died from fentanyl overdoses in Jackson County, Missouri.

October 17, 2023

C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic Team

The Silent Crisis: Fentanyl Overdoses in Young Children

The Escalating Opioid Crisis in America

While the opioid crisis has been a point of concern in the United States for years, recent reports indicate a horrifying trend: young children and even infants are falling victim to fatal fentanyl overdoses. As caregivers and parents inCalifornia,Sacramento, and across the nation grapple with this devastating reality, it's essential to recognize the depth of the crisis and the urgency of the need for solutions.

Disturbing Numbers and Unthinkable Tragedies

Recent data from Jackson County, Missouri, revealed that in 2021 alone, seven children under the age of two succumbed to a fatal overdose of fentanyl. Among these victims was a heartbreaking case of a 10-month-old baby. The reach of this crisis isn't limited to one state. Reports of child fentanyl overdoses have surfaced from diverse states, includingCalifornia, New York, Texas, Kansas, and Tennessee.

The primary concern lies not with prescription fentanyl, typically used for severe pain management in medical settings, but with the counterfeit variant mixed into illicit drugs. This form of fentanyl is causing havoc in American households, affecting children who haven't even celebrated their first birthday.

The Overarching Dangers of Fentanyl Exposure

The synthetic opioid, fentanyl, approved by the Food and Drug Administration for specific medical applications, is potent. The danger escalates when considering that young children often ingest objects they find. Nora Volkow, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, warned of the peril toddlers face, noting that even a single pill of fentanyl can be fatal.

Addressing the Crisis: A Call to Action

Fentanyl overdoses among children are not due to their addiction but mostly result from the negligence of those responsible for their care. In light of this, there's an urgent call for more rigorous measures, awareness campaigns, and perhaps legal actions against such negligence.

For families and individuals inSacramento, California, seeking understanding oropioid treatment, it's crucial to recognize the severity of this situation. Collective efforts and heightened awareness can hopefully mitigate this tragic trend.

To combat this crisis, collaborations between communities, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement agencies are essential. Only through collective efforts can we protect our most vulnerable from the silent but deadly grip of the fentanyl epidemic.

Educational content from Core Medical Clinic. This article does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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Initially, an intake assessment and admission medical history and exam is completed by counseling and medical staff. Treatment options are discussed and a course of action taken. Medication recommendations are made and initated to balance safety and benefit as much as possible. It is very important to let counseling, dispensing and medical staff know how the medication is working or not so appropriate adjustments can be made.

At C.O.R.E., we strive to individualize treatment and maximize success. There is no time pressure. Some do well with short term treatment while others benefit from long term treatment. We know relapse is common and can have disasterous results. We work hard to treat each patient as long as is required to achieve long term success.

First we work closely with the individual to achieve a “normalizing’ dose of medication to alleviate withdrawal and craving while minimizing side effects. Working closely with medical, dispensing and counseling staff most often allows us to achieve this goal in the first few days to weeks.

Not necessarily. C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic serves patients in Sacramento, West Sacramento, and surrounding areas. People often choose a clinic based on accessibility, treatment needs, and location.

C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic accepts several health insurance plans, including Medi-Cal, MHN, Anthem, Medicare, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Optum, Blue Shield of California, Magellan Health, and Western Health Advantage.

As most patients entering treatment know, opioid withdrawal is awful and inevitably leads to continued use. We are sensitive to how terrible the craving, restlessness, anxiety, bone aches, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, sweating, etc. can be. If alcohol, benzodiazepines, stimulants, or other drugs are involved withdrawal can be medically dangerous and require residential or coordinated medical care. Opioid withdrawal can be greatly reduced or eliminated by the early doses provided but again frequent contact with treatment staff for medication adjustments is very important.

The great majority of patients seeking treatment for opioid addiction can continue their normal life, including work, while they are working to find their ’normalizing’ medication dose. If residential or coordinated medical care is required, some time off may be necessary but again this will be individualized. Clinic hours are designed to accommodate the vast majority of working patients.

We work hard to educate patients about the benefits and safety of MAT. Many myths circulate about MAT such as it causing liver problems, bone problems and being harder to get off than fentanyl or heroin. These are absolutely false and will be discussed in detail with your treatment staff. Patients who receive MAT are much healthier than patients not in treatment. Learning to manage common side effects like constipation and weight gain can make patients healthier than they have ever been. All opioids are hard to get off but MAT can set up a very careful and safe detox when a patient is ready. An abrupt short term detox is not advised and can be difficult but a gradual, medically safe detox minimizes withdrawal symptoms. Supplemental safe, non addicting medications can further reduce unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

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