All You Need to Know about Prescription Opiates

An increase in aging population combined with the rising prevalence of diseases like diabetic neuropathy, arthritis, and cancer has led to the growth of the global pain relief market. Topical analgesics, NSAIDs, and opiates make up a huge segment of this market, and are prescribed by health professionals to treat mild to severe and chronic pain.

While there are some safety issues related to an important class of NSAIDs called Cox-2 inhibitors- which has subsequently led to market withdrawals- , opioid medications are notorious for making a person physically dependent on them. Despite this, opiates are used increasingly to relieve pain, especially in cases where ordinary pain medications have been ineffective or for people who cannot take NSAIDs due to heart, kidney, or liver problems.

Opiate drugs can be effective when prescribed for short-term treatment, considering they are potent pain relievers and also have positive psychological properties. However, the risk of physical dependency and addiction is high when opiates are taken in high doses and for longer periods, and without a prescription.
If you are looking for more information on opiates and their side-effects, and on opiate withdrawal, read on.

What Are Opiates and How Do They Work?

Opiates or opioids are a group of natural, synthetic, or partially synthetic drugs that are derived from the poppy plant or synthesized chemically in laboratories. Opiates include legal drugs like morphine, oxycodone, and codeine, as well as illegal drugs like heroin.
Opiates being narcotic medications, target opioid receptors in the brain and the central nervous system, thereby reducing pain. These drugs are commonly prescribed by health professionals to help manage pain. Narcotic elements in medications vary greatly, which is why it is important to follow the advice of a health professional when taking these drugs.

What Are the Side-Effects of Opiates?

Like other drugs, using opiates can cause a sense of elation, breathlessness, depressed respiration, fatigue, nausea, and confusion. Taking lethal doses of opioids can also result in death.

Using opioids for longer than prescribed by a health professional can cause the user to develop physical dependence and tolerance. This means that the body adjusts to the presence of opiates over time, and requires a higher quantity of drugs to produce the same effect.

Further, prolonged usage of opioids may damage the brain which can in turn stop the body from producing endorphins- a neurotransmitter that is a natural painkiller. Addiction to opiates can also be accompanied by mental disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and antisocial personality disorder.

What Are the Signs of Opiate Abuse?

Individuals using opiates for longer than prescribed, taking them in larger amounts, or spending a lot of time on obtaining and using drugs are most certainly physically dependent on opiates or addicted to them.
In addition to this, mood or psychological symptoms like psychosis, euphoria, depression, increased self-esteem, lowered motivation, anxiety, and irritability also point to opiate dependence. Physical signs of opiate abuse include improved alertness, increased energy, high blood pressure, low appetite, high sensitivity to sensory stimuli, etc.

What Are the Causes of Prescription Opiate Addiction?

While not all individuals become addicted to prescription opiates, the exact reason for a person developing an addiction to these drugs cannot be determined. Opiate addiction can be the result of a number of factors including genetic, psychological, or environmental.

For example, an individual who has a close relative with an addiction disorder might be more likely to develop an addiction. Also, individuals that have an inborn deficit of endorphins or those that have been brought up in a chaotic home environment are more likely to get addicted to opiates.

Moreover, individuals that feel their pain isn’t getting any better or those that feel as good as they do when under medication are likely to self-prescribe opiates and abuse them.

What Is Opiate Withdrawal?

Individuals that discontinue or dramatically reduce the intake of opiates after prolonged and heavy use, experience a range of symptoms referred to as opiate withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms include restlessness, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, insomnia, excessive sweating, and anxiety.

Prescription opiate addiction needs to be treated with just as much care as any other substance addiction. Using natural remedies and eating healthy can make opiate withdrawal easy. Taking appropriate medications to deal with the uneasiness is recommended.

What Are the Global Statistics?

According to reports, prescription drug abuse has risen significantly in the last decade in the US. While the abuse of prescription opiates hasn't reached pandemic levels all over the globe, it certainly is a cause for concern.
As per the 2014 Global Drug Survey (GDS2014) conducted during November-December 2013, which was the biggest survey of its kinds and saw 18 countries participating, an average of 5% respondents had used cannabis in the last year.

Earlier reports have suggested that heroin and other opioids had an estimated 12-21 million global users. Furthermore, the INCB has pointed out that North America consumes 80% of the world's opioids, plus has the highest rate of drug-related deaths in the world. Additionally, it has been noted that men are twice as likely as women to abuse prescription opiates.

Conclusion

While opiate drugs are highly effective in the treatment of certain chronic pains, using them for a prolonged time, especially without a doctor’s prescription can prove to be dangerous. Since prescription opiates are broadly marketed, it can be difficult to think of them as harmful, but knowing the dangers involved and using medication wisely is sure to help individuals stay safe and healthy.