What are Opioids?

Doctors often prescribe opioids, also referred to as narcotics, to treat severe or persistent pain. Patients recovering from surgery or dealing with excruciating pain related to cancer, as well as adults and children who have suffered catastrophic injuries in falls, car accidents, or other tragedies, can all benefit from them. They are also helpful for people with chronic headaches and backaches.

You can have some control over whether you initially use opioids or not. The negative effects will eventually convince you to continue taking the medication, though, if you don’t take it exactly as your doctor instructed. Opioids affect brain chemistry and lead to drug tolerance, which requires progressively higher doses to produce the same effects.

Some of the most often prescribed opioids include oxycodone, fentanyl, buprenorphine, methadone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine. Other opioids, including heroin, are abused illegally.

What are the signs of Opioid Abuse?

Opioid addiction has physical, behavioral, and psychological indications and symptoms. An evident sign of addiction is the inability to stop using opioids. Another sign is when a patient struggles to discontinue using more than what is advised by their doctor.

Additional indications and symptoms of opioid misuse include the following:

• Breathing rate that is shallow
• agitation of the body
• Ineffective decision-making
• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Depression
• Anxiety attacks are common.

You may become addicted to opioids if you crave the drug or feel you can’t control your urge to use it. Even if the drug is causing you issues, if you keep using it without your doctor’s approval, you risk becoming addicted. Your health, finances, employment, education, or relationships with family or friends could all be affected. Your loved ones can be aware of your addiction problem before you are. They might notice an alteration in your behavior.

If you use too many pills, you could experience an opioid overdose. This condition poses a hazard to life. Among the signs and symptoms are:

• Unresponsiveness (inability to awaken)
• Breathing slowly, irregularly, or not at all
• No pulse or a slow, irregular pulse
• Vomiting
• Consciousness loss (passing out)
• Their pupils are small.

Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

After taking an opioid for a while, a person may have withdrawal symptoms when stopping. As the body attempts to rid itself of the drug, a person going through opioid withdrawal may experience a number of harmful physical and emotional symptoms. Until the procedure is finished, withdrawal symptoms usually worsen over time.

The initial indications of opiate withdrawal are as follows, and they often manifest within 24 hours:

• Sweating profusely
• Aches and pains in the muscles
• Irritability and inability to sleep
• Anxiety
• a stuffy nose
• Signs of opioid withdrawal that come later (typically after the first day or two)
• Cramps in the abdomen
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting are severe.
• My heart is racing.
• Blood pressure that is too high
• dilation of the pupils as well as hazy vision
• Feelings of goosebumps

Opioid withdrawal has a lot of negative consequences. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is a treatment option offered by some drug rehab centers, such as PRC Rehabilitation Center, to assist people to overcome their opioid addiction safely and under medical supervision. During the most difficult times of early recovery, this form of therapy can lessen the impact of opioid withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings, enhancing the odds of long-term sobriety. The use of MAT in conjunction with evidence-based treatment or counseling to address any underlying issues that may have led to the addiction has also been demonstrated to be most successful, which is significant.

How can we help?

PRC Rehabilitation Center’s treatment staff has the experience and competence to assist anyone battling drug addiction. To suit the client’s specific needs, our team employs a number of evidence-based treatment strategies. Contact our team today to speak with an addiction treatment professional if you or someone you care about is struggling with opioid addiction. See how we may assist you in your journey to living a life free of addiction.