Twin Falls man speaks about the reality of Fentanyl

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —Fentanyl has become a huge problem in Idaho.

According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, 270 deaths were related to opioid overdoses, but not many people know the adverse effects this drug has.

“The second you’re not on the drug no more it’s just an immediate withdrawal that just throws you into immediate vomiting, sounds kind of awkward but constipation and it’s just the worse feeling i’ve ever experienced in my life.” Guillermo Sotelo, a recovering addict, explains the withdrawals of Fentanyl.

After taking even a little more of the Fentanyl, Sotelo would start to feel relief and not feel so sick.

Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous drugs because of how highly addictive and strong it is.

Michael McEntire, who is a doctor at St. Luke’s, explains the potency of this drug, “Fentanyl is much more potent than most opioids encounter anywhere, on the streets specifically so someone who has become addicted to pain medication, such as morphine or whatever they might be accustomed to. If they are then exposed to fentanyl, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.”

Taking the same dose of another drug is not the same dose as Fentanyl.

“And if they take a milligram of fentanyl that’s the equivalent of taking 100 milligrams of morphine in the same weight of medication,” McEntire explains.

Not knowing how powerful Fentanyl is and not knowing how many doses your body can allow, is why accidental overdoses occur.

Sotelo overdosed two times, before he decided he needed to make changes, “What actually took it was an overdose, well the second overdose and having to go to the hospital because my body started to think it was dead juts cause the lack of oxygen into my brain constantly not breathing because it slows down your breathing, slows down your heart. That’s how people die.”

In contrast to Methamphetamines, your skin doesn’t have any damage, and no scars are shown but you do start to neglect important aspects of your life.

“Their health will fail , their mind will also fail, you will have problems in many aspects of their life, but you don’t necessarily see it,” McEntire talks about those aspects.

Sotelo is still a recovering addict, and has a message for others who are struggling, ““People think that their families aren’t really there for them or they’re really rebellious with their family and it’s not the case. I rebelled against my family when all they were trying to do was help me.”

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