Opiate Addiction

Opiate addiction is becoming more prevalent and this concerning trend gives rise to many questions. The addiction is common in patients with chronic pain, cancer, or who may have been prescribed an opiate after a surgery of some sort. Many have been prescribed one of a number of opiate-based pain medications such as; codeine, morphine, oxycontin, and vicodin, to name but a few.Opiates are considered a “downer”, meaning that they cause the user to feel tired, listless or depressed, as opposed to an “upper” which produces feelings of energy and positive moods.

Symptoms Of Opiate Addiction

The symptoms of opiate addiction can be any or all of the following:

The patient has a need to take more and more of the prescribed medication to get the “fix” they seek, this is a definite warning sign.
The patient may experience depression and/or suicidal thoughts, again linking back to opiates being a “downer”. An addicted person may spend quite a bit of time focusing on the drug, and when or how they will be able to get/take more of the medication, and fixated on taking it often.
Some of those who experience opiate addiction also display social withdrawal, isolating themselves from friends or family. This can be caused by the feelings of euphoria that opiates lend the user, leading to a feeling of needing nothing or no one but the drug.
Users may present an unkempt appearance, including weight loss. Because of the nature of the drug, the need to get more and more of it to feed the addiction begins to take up much of the user’s thought processes, leading to forgetting such things as personal hygiene or cleanliness.