14/04/2023
Effects of Abuse
Harmful Opioid Effects
Unemployed, sad man
Potentially adverse short-term effects of opioids include:4
Drowsiness.
Confusion.
Nausea.
Constipation.
Slowed breathing.
In overdose, the breathing may slow to extreme levels or stop completely. This may lead to a lack of oxygen to the brain (hypoxia) which may result in coma, brain damage, or death.
Potential Effects of Opioid Addiction
The signs, symptoms, and characteristic behavioral changes associated with individual cases of opioid addiction will vary. Similarly, the precise impact that an untreated addiction has on someone’s life will depend on a number of variables, but many people will be at increased risk for several types of unfavorable outcomes.
Potential adverse consequences of opioid addiction include:7,8
A decline in social and interpersonal relationships.
Difficulty meeting schoolwork obligations.
Problems with job performance or loss of a job.
Debt from increased substance-related spending or loss of income.
Decreased time for previously enjoyed recreational activities.
Increased risk of disease contraction or other drug-related physical health issues. (e.g., HIV, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, endocarditis, skin and soft tissue infections).
Intoxication-related injuries.
Increased risk of opioid-related respiratory depression and overdose death.
Signs of an Opioid Addiction
Many of the aforementioned consequences of compulsive or problematic opioid use are, in fact, elements of the very criteria used to make the diagnosis of an opioid use disorder, or opioid addiction. Other diagnostic criteria include:7
A persistent desire and/or unsuccessful efforts to decrease or otherwise control one’s opioid use.
Strong opioid cravings.
Tolerance, or a need for increasing amounts of opioid drugs to achieve a desired level of intoxication.
The onset of acute opioid withdrawal when use slows or stops; or, the need to continue use to prevent the onset of opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Dependence and Addiction
Though there are additional diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders, addictions often have an element of physical dependence as a characteristic feature, which can develop when the body is chronically exposed to a drug.
In situations where opioids are taken according to a prescription, a doctor will be careful to monitor their patients for any significant dependence development and, when the time comes, gradually adjust their dose to prevent the arrival of severe withdrawal symptoms.
Once someone starts abusing drugs—or using them nonmedically—they may no longer be taking them at the recommended dosage or via the proper route of administration. Dependence can build swiftly, unmanaged withdrawal may become a recurrent issue, and the situation may become largely out of the doctor’s control.
Though some people may be more susceptible to developing an addiction than others, addiction is ultimately an illness that can develop in nearly anyone under certain circumstances.
Though some people may be more susceptible to developing an addiction than others, addiction is ultimately an illness that can develop in nearly anyone under certain circumstances. For instance, a cycle of compulsive opioid misuse may become perpetuated when an individual reaches a point where they will experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking them. Making matters potentially worse, because tolerance has built up, they must take larger and larger doses every time if they want to merely stave off withdrawal.
Withdrawing from Opioids
Recovery requires a person to stop using the abused opioid in question, which often means experiencing some degree of opioid withdrawal. People who have consistently used opioid drugs eventually develop physiological dependence on them; opioid dependence increases the likelihood of a potentially uncomfortable withdrawal experience at the point that a person stops using. Going through withdrawal can be challenging and scary, but it is important to remember that medical detox can help stabilize a person in withdrawal, and make this inevitable hurdle to recovery much more comfortable and bearable.
Early Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms
Some of the earliest symptoms of opioid withdrawal include:9
Insomnia.
Anxiety.
Agitation.
Muscle aches and pains.
Sweating.
Increasing tearing and runny nose.
Yawning.
The precise duration and intensity of withdrawal will vary among individuals and will be influenced by the type of opioid having been used; in some cases, the characteristic withdrawal symptoms may change over the course of a somewhat stepwise progression.
Late Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal
As an example, some of the later-stage symptoms of opioid withdrawal may include:9
Nausea.
Vomiting.
Abdominal cramping.
Diarrhea.
Dilated pupils.
Goosebumps.
Though opioid withdrawal can be intensely unpleasant, it is seldom life-threatening; with the right withdrawal management care in place, many progress comfortably through this earliest stage of treatment and come out on the other side re-invigorated and ready to begin additional recovery efforts.
As part of medical treatment for opioid use disorder, physician staff may administer opioid agonist medications like methadone and buprenorphine to stabilize people in withdrawal and maintain them through longer-term recovery. Clonidine may additionally be used to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms, as well as other adjunctive pharmacotherapies for better management of symptoms such as insomnia, body aches and pains, and headaches.10,11 At some point after being stabilized on an opioid agonist regimen, the choice may be made to then taper the recovering individual off the maintenance drugs in a slow, controlled manner, though many people remain on maintenance therapy for longer periods of time.
