Expected and actual fentanyl exposure among persons seeking opioid withdrawal management.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:Fentanyl-contaminated opioid supplies have led to rising overdose fatalities in recent years. We compared beliefs, behaviors, and risk perceptions related to fentanyl with actual toxicology reports among people who used opioids. METHOD:Participants (n=231) were patients undergoing short-term inpatient opioid withdrawal management in Fall River, Massachusetts. We compared persons testing positive and negative for fentanyl on urine toxicological testing at program entry. RESULTS:Nearly all (95.7%) participants believed that fentanyl increases risk for overdose/death, and 86.6% of participants tested positive for fentanyl. Positive fentanyl toxicology test results were associated with lower educational attainment, history of injection drug use, and self-reported lifetime use of fent

SUBMITTER: Kenney SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5808984 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature