Opioid abuse
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Opioids are drugs used to treat pain. Some of them are illegal to use in the United States, and the legal ones are highly regulated and available by prescription only. Opiate abuse means using such drugs without a prescription or a doctor's supervision.
The reasons the government regulates these drugs is that they are highly addictive, and that many people suffer allergic reactions, even fatal ones, the first time they use them. This is why doctors often "start low and work up slow" when they prescribe opioid painkillers. When people abuse opioids, they build up a tolerance and have to take the drugs in higher doses in order to achieve the effects they want. As they grow more opioid-tolerant, they also will crush, inject, snort, or otherwise consume the drugs in dangerous ways their manufacturers never intended in order to achieve their "highs". Some opioid abusers combine these drugs with other substances, again to enhance their effects once they become more drug-tolerant.
Once a person becomes physically dependent on opioids, his primary concern in life becomes seeking out the drug, insuring a steady supply of it, and using it. If he goes without using opioids, he will enter an unpleasant withdrawal syndrome. Avoiding withdrawal symptoms in turn reinforces his drug habit.
Opioid addiction comes at a price to a person's career, relationships, and quality of life. Drug-seeking behaviors are linked to criminal activity -- not just on the part of drug dealers but among the addicts themselves, which is another reason most governments regulate opioids. Governments also oversee the use of opioids because intravenous drugs spread serious blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis and AIDS. Opioids are sometimes called narcotics, from a Greek word for "stupor." They bind at the opiate receptors in the brain and produce a dulling of the senses, relief of pain, a dreamlike or stupor state, and sometimes euphoria. Side effects are drowsiness, apathy, pinpoint pupils, inability to concentrate, nausea, constipation, respiratory depression, and a flushing of the face and neck.
The United States government has classified over 70 opioids as Schedule I drugs, which means they are considered highly addictive, without medical uses, and unsafe. They are illegal to manufacture, sell, distribute, or possess. Most of these drugs are synthetic derivatives of fentanyl, morphine, codeine and other popular pain remedies. The most commonly abused illegal opioid is heroin.
Opioids are legally prescribed by medical professionals for pain relief, cough suppression, and relief of diarrhea. Codeine is a mild, naturally occurring opioid, and one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the world. At the other end of the opioid spectrum is fentanyl, which is so strong that people have died from handling its wrappers. It is legally used only in hospital settings and for terminally ill patients. Other opioids with medical uses are oxycodone, meperidine, methadone, hydrocodone, and morphine.
The withdrawal syndrome that a person experiences once he or she stops using opioids will depend upon the strength of the opioid abuse, the daily dose, the interval between doses, the duration of use, and the health, age, and personality of the abuser. Shorter-acting opioids usually lead to shorter and more intense withdrawal symptoms. Longer-acting opioids produce a withdrawal syndrome that is less severe, but lasts longer. If a physician has been prescribing an opioid for legitimate medical purposes, he or she can help the patient avoid unpleasant withdrawal symptoms by gradually reducing the dosage. Most opioid analgesics are prescribed for a month or less, unless the patient is terminally ill or has chronic pain.
Heroin and morphine addicts in withdrawal experience watery eyes, runny nose, yawning, and sweating, and then irritability, restlessness, loss of appetite, nausea, and severe drug cravings. As the syndrome progresses, the symptoms become similar to influenza, with chills alternating with excessive sweating, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, muscle aches, and pains in the bones and extremities that usually last seven to ten days. Drug-cravings can last much longer than that.
Physical dependency on prescription opioids, such as fentanyl and hydrocodone, produce similar withdrawal syndromes, again depending on the individual's health and history of abuse. Besides the symptoms listed above, other ones can be diarrhea, compulsions, kicking movements, nightmares, inability to become comfortable, and severe depression.
Residential treatment programs often begin with a medically supervised withdrawal period. Without medical supervision, some withdrawals can be life-threatening. Physicians and other medical professionals monitor these patients, and they sometimes can make them more comfortable through medications. After physical withdrawal is complete, patients usually remain in residential treatment to undergo intense psychotherapy and training in how to lead a drug-free life. After residential treatment, most people enter follow-up care, which includes continued psychotherapy and attendance at support meetings, such as Narcotics Anonymous.
