The Dangers and Signs of Opiate Addiction
Addiction to Opiates can be Fatal and Withdrawal is Painful
Opiates, and their sister drug opioids, have the highest chance of addiction among all the prescribed medications. Opiate addiction grabs hold of a person, and it is difficult to let go. Opiate addicts are used to the euphoria that is brought from constant and long-term use of the drug. Even when an opiate addict decides to quit chronic use of prescribed medications, the withdrawals often are so unbearable that they return to the opiate addiction to cease the dope sickness.
What is Opiate Addiction?
Opiate addiction has such a wide range of drug use that it can mean many types of dependencies. Many people who are opiate addicts have legal prescriptions from their general physician. Opiate addiction can mean that someone is dependent on prescribed drugs like oxycontin (oxycodone), vicodin (hydromorphone), or stronger drugs like fentanyl and dilaudid. These are all narcotics that are prescribed to patients for severe pain, but they have street value as desired opiate medications for drug abusers.
While some prescription opiate abusers consider themselves different from the dark side of drug use, essentially abusing prescription drugs is the same as abusing other opiates like heroin or morphine. Some opiate addicts will actually take IV pills crushed up into a solution, which is one of the most dangerous forms of intravenous use of opiates. Drug manufacturers use fillers and binders that get mixed with the solution and can cause many complications such as embolisms and abscesses for IV drug users.
What are the signs of Opiate Addiction?
Opiate addiction depends on the method of administration and the length of time the drug addict has been using. IV drug users are notoriously known to have severe side effects with many complications that often send them to the emergency room. Opiate addiction has many signs and some of them are more dangerous than others:
- Analgesia (feeling no pain)
- Sedation
- Euphoria (feeling high)
- Respiratory depression (shallow or slow breathing)
- Small pupils
- Nausea, vomiting
- Itching or flushed skin
- Constipation
- Slurred speech
- Confusion or poor judgment
What are the Withdrawals of Opiate Addiction?
When an opiate addict decides to cease use of the drug, they normally suffer from severe withdraw symptoms for about a week after cessation. The withdrawals can be relieved from several organic, natural remedies. For instance, opiate addiction has a withdrawal symptom of insomnia, but the use of kava kava or valerian root greatly reduces the sleep deprivation suffered by many opiate addicts. Opiate addiction withdrawals also include muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and irritability and depression. These symptoms can be so severe that the opiate addict tends to prefer the opiate addiction over these withdrawals. Many opiate addicts prefer to take days off from work and find methods to relax and exercise to feel normal during withdrawal periods.
References:
Prescription Drug Abuse and Opiate Addiction
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