subject: Symptoms And Treatment Of Opiate Addiction [print this page] Symptoms And Treatment Of Opiate Addiction
Perhaps the best known opiate drugs are heroin and methadone. However, prescription drugs such as codeine, fentanyl and vicodin are also derived from opiates. Overtime and with continued use of these drugs, an opiate addiction develops because these drugs depress the brain's ability to produce natural painkillers, called endorphins.
Opiates can ease chronic pain and provide relief to those suffering from devastating illnesses and diseases. These drugs decrease anxiety, stabilize a user's moods and lessen the symptoms of insomnia. But an individual can become psychologically dependent, on an opiate drug, within days of taking their first dose. Continued use of these drugs can lead to a physical addiction because of their ability to produce chemical changes to the brain's Central Nervous System. These changes can result in long term damage to a user's brain.
An individual who becomes addicted to opiate drugs may begin by taking too much of the drug. Gradually, they may notice that more of their time is spent making sure they have enough of their drug. They may also notice that they are spending more time and energy recovering from having taken the drug. Perhaps they will have tried to stop taking the drug. Eventually, everyone may notice the person's isolation and withdrawal from routine, daily activities and relationships.
The symptoms of a physical opiate dependence are individual and vary from person to person. Factors such as the amount of drug a person has consumed and how the person takes the drug can also influence what symptoms are exhibited. In general, the symptoms of opiate addiction can include and inability to feel pain. The person may feel euphoric and sedated to the point of falling asleep, slurring their words or being physically unstable.
Other symptoms can include a decrease in or a complete loss of appetite, noticeably slow breathing and confused thinking. An individual who is addicted to opiates may have red blotches of skin and complain of feeling itchy or of feeling a crawling sensation. These individuals may have extremely small pupils and others may notice a change in their hygiene and personal grooming habits. People who are addicted to opiates may also experience headaches and vomiting, runny noses, ashen or blue lips or fingertips or a weak heartbeat or pulse. In extreme cases, where the opiate has been injected over a long period of time, the individual may have done damage to their veins.
The treatment of people who are addicted to opiate drugs can be extremely dangerous because of the way the opiates change the brain's functioning. For this reason and because detoxification involves allowing the opiate to leave the person's body, only professionally qualified personnel should be involved in this initial stage of treatment.
Further, because addiction to opiates impacts each person differently, it's important that all treatment programs provide individualized services. Treatment programs, in general, are designed to address the physical aspects addiction. However, they should also address and treat the psychological issues that resulted in the person becoming addicted to opiates. Medical intervention can always be supplemented with therapy, counselling and self-help support groups in order to make treatment more successful.
Addiction to opiates cause long term damage and changes in the way the brain functions. However, opiate addiction can be overcome with detox and a comprehensive treatment program that addresses the individual physical, emotional and psychological needs of the person with a physical addiction to opiates.
