Signs and Effects of Opioid Addiction

There is an opioid epidemic spreading throughout the United States. There are initiatives in progress to advance the treatment of and recovery from opioid addiction, but the best way to avoid addiction is to acknowledge the signs and side effects of opioid abuse. Knowing that a loved one is struggling with an addiction to illicit substances can be difficult to swallow, but picking up on the signs can empower you to help them.

Opioid Use vs Opioid Abuse

What are opioids and why are they so addictive? According to John Hopkins Medicine, opioids are a “class of drugs that includes both prescription pain medicines and illegal drugs such as heroin.” It’s difficult to understand the fine line between opioid use and opioid abuse. One reason for this misconception is because some opioids are prescribed by physicians. Physicians may prescribe opioids to treat severe pain, but they must do so with caution because opioids can quickly turn from medical to recreational. To avoid becoming addicted to prescribed opioids, it is essential to take the medication according to the doctor’s orders and follow all instructions carefully. Although prescribed with good intentions, many patients given opioids by their physicians are at high risk to develop an opioid use disorder (OUD).

Understanding Opioid Dependence

What is considered an opioid use disorder (OUD)? An OUD is “a medical condition defined by not being able to abstain from using opioids, and behaviors centered around opioid use that interfere with daily life.” While this definition excludes physical dependence, an individual with an opioid use disorder is usually physically dependent on the substance, and this dependence is what drives the disorder. The physical dependence on an opioid drug usually involves unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when ending opioid use, including anything from intense cravings to severe sweating. It is possible to abuse opioids without experiencing a physical dependence on the substance. Physical dependence on an opioid drug interferes with and disrupts daily functioning. A user’s life revolves around being able to retrieve the drug in the desired amount, regardless of the toll it takes on finances or important relationships. With behavior like this, it can become clear to most people that this individual is struggling with an OUD. It’s important for a doctor to formally diagnose the individual with an OUD to ensure that they receive proper treatment, and be tapered and detoxed with support and safety.

Signs and Symptoms of Opioid Addiction

A doctor is usually the best person to diagnose an OUD, but there are signs and symptoms of an OUD that loved ones can notice and encourage the person addicted to opioids to seek treatment. At initial opioid use, typical signs may not appear, but with time, more common signs will begin to surface, and it will be evident that an individual is indeed indulging in inappropriate opioid use. There are many indicators of opioid addiction, including but not limited to:

Inability to control opioid use
Uncontrollable cravings
Fatigue, lethargy, and drowsiness
Disturbed sleeping patterns
Significant weight loss
Returning flu-like symptoms
Low sex drive
Poor hygiene
Alterations in activity levels
Isolating from loved ones
Sneaking around from family and friends
Stealing money or goods from friends, family, or work
Unstable finances

Physical Effects of Opioid Addiction

The physical impact of opioids on the body is strong, and many physical symptoms appear with an OUD. These physical symptoms can surface with recent use, even if the user takes opioids infrequently. Physical symptoms have the potential to become long-term or more severe with frequent opioid use. The varying physical symptoms of opioid use include:

Lethargy
Sedation
Fatigue or drowsiness
Decreased pupil size
Falling asleep or nodding off
Decreased breathing rate
Shallow breathing
Constipation
Sense of itchiness and frequent scratching
Impaired coordination
Nausea
Vomiting
“Track Marks” or wounds/scars from intravenous use on arms, hands, in-between toes, and on many other parts of the body

Behavioral Effects of Opioid Addiction

Aside from the physical effects of opioid addiction, behavioral changes should also be expected. With opioid use, there is usually a noticeable difference in the user’s behavior to loved ones, family, friends, and coworkers. Although each opioid user has a unique baseline personality and comes from a variety of cultural and social backgrounds, the common behavioral side effects of opioid addiction can include:

Increased happiness or even euphoria
Abrupt and intense mood swings
Isolation
No longer showing up to social functions
Secrecy
Dishonesty
Dilemmas at work and in personal relationships
Arrests, jail time, and/or residing issues with the law
Difficulty fulfilling commitments
Seeking money at short notice
Abrupt financial difficulty
Changes in daily routine
Changes in ability to function in society
Taking other medications in larger doses than prescribed
“Doctor shopping” or visiting multiple doctors to obtain prescriptions for opioids”

Long Term Effects of Opioid Use

While the physical and behavioral effects of opioid addiction begin to appear with any amount of opioid use, there are long-term effects of opioid use. The long-term effects of opioid use can “range from the persistent presence of those symptoms experienced in early addiction to chronic, life-threatening illnesses as use progresses.” Other long-term opioid use symptoms may include:

GI programs like constipation, intestinal obstruction, and bowel perforation (a hole develops in the bowel wall)
Decreased immune function
Liver disease
Kidney disease
Pneumonia
Tuberculosis
Respiratory issues
Irregular levels of hormones, imbalances difficult to return back to homeostasis
Mental disorders like depression and anxiety
Sexual dysfunction
Damaged veins (scarred, collapsed, and/or with abscesses or boils)
Bacterial infections (in or near blood vessels and heart valves)
Blood-borne virus from intravenous use (Hepatitis B & C, HIV, and AIDS)

Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

After a person has begun using opioids, whether prescribed or not, their body becomes used to certain chemical balances in the body and will become dependent on having drugs in their system to feel okay enough to function normally. A tolerance builds and without enough of the drug, or even more severe, without the drug, opioid users will go into withdrawal and experience a plethora of unpleasant symptoms. Opioid withdrawal symptoms are similar to having the flu. Some symptoms of opioid withdrawal include:

Upset stomach (nausea, vomiting, cramps, difficulty keeping anything down)
Trouble regulating body temperature (excessive sweating)
Obsessive and addictive thoughts about obtaining more drugs
Runny nose
Teary eyes
Goosebumps
Restlessness
Lethargy
Fatigue, frequent yawning
Sleeplessness
Irritability
Anger
Anxiety
Tremors
Uncontrollable shaking
Body aches
Leg cramps

At Boardwalk Recovery Center, we believe that having the knowledge and awareness about varying addictive disorders is the first step for the users and their families to recover. Our staff is effective at approaching the signs and symptoms of opioid addiction with care and discipline and preparing our clients for a life free of opioid use and its consequences.