What Is Painkiller Abuse?

Painkillers can provide short-term relief when overcoming a severe injury or recovering from surgery. Alongside numbing pain, they give a sense of relaxed euphoria. Unfortunately, this sensation, with the addictive nature of these drugs, can rapidly lead to painkiller abuse

Painkiller Abuse Signs And Symptoms 

If you are apprehensive that you or your closed one has painkiller abuse, common signs and symptoms of dependency are:

Behavioral Signs

  • Taking painkillers after the pain has subsided
  • Lying or magnifying pain to get medication 
  • Slurring speech in conversations
  • Going to various doctors or chemists in a try to get medication
  • Hiding bottles 
  • Getting painkillers by stealing, borrowing, or illegally buying them
  • Spending so much time thinking about, acquiring, and taking painkillers
  • Spending less time with family and friends or doing activities once enjoyed
  • Prioritizing symptoms of painkiller abuse over work, family, and financial responsibilities

Physical Symptoms

  • Excessive sweating
  • Trouble sleeping 
  • Pinpoint or dilated pupils
  • Too much time sleeping
  • Itchiness 
  • Hallucinations and delusions
  • Problems with coordination
  • Poor judgment
  • Cognitive abilities
  • Struggling to focus or concentrate
  • Confusion, dizziness, and disorientation

Psychosocial Symptoms

  • Irritability
  • Depression 
  • Mood swings
  • Anxiety

When somebody has a painkiller addiction, they are less inclined to experience the associated high, as they have accumulated a tolerance to the drug and require it to function. They may also suffer withdrawal painkiller abuse symptoms if they attempt to cut down or stop using the medicine when they become physically dependent. Signs of drug withdrawal could be muscle and bone pain, stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and flu-like symptoms.

Harmful Effects Of Prescription Painkiller Addiction 

While individuals may get painkillers through prescriptions, those with a painkiller addiction could also get the prescription online for purchasing drugs, where they do not know the precise doses within the tablets. A painkiller addiction can result in developing liver and kidney damage and seizures. In addition, when a person becomes addicted and grows a tolerance to painkillers, they are also likely to use higher doses. These high dosages can lead to respiratory depression, in which breathing slows down, blood pressure fails, and heart rate drops.

This hazardous effect can result in the person stopping breathing or going into a coma. Higher doses come with a danger of overdose, which can result in respiratory failure. Going through detoxification as an outcome of painkiller abuse also has associated risks, which make withdrawing with medical aid incredibly important. With the danger of seizure, raised levels of anxiety, and a longer detox time, the procedure must be managed by a medical specialist.

What Are The Commonly Abused Painkillers?

Oxycodone

Oxycodone is a powerful painkiller. Unfortunately, it is one of the most commonly abused prescription pain killer drugs. Addiction can happen quickly. In addition to alleviating pain, oxycodone provides people with a sense of euphoria and lessens anxiety. Nonetheless, as tolerance to this drug develops, people require to use more of the drug to get the desired impact. Taking more than specified puts the person in danger of seizures, low blood pressure, or cardiac arrest.

Codeine

Codeine is a drug prescribed to lessen pain. Codeine abuse occasionally starts after taking the drug with an online prescription. The consequences of codeine are drowsiness, euphoria, reduced energy, and a feeling of relaxation. Because it is an opiate, the danger of dependence is high. Tolerance can direct a person to take more than one planned, and there is a danger of overdose. In large quantities, codeine can result in coma, respiratory failure, and death.

Morphine

Morphine is one of the highly addictive prescription pain relievers. It is a strong CNS (central nervous sysyem) depressant that can result in life-threatening difficulties if misused. Some signs of morphine abuse are dilated pupils, drowsiness, nausea, slowed breathing, dizziness, itching, and impaired concentration. If someone uses too much morphine, it can result in respiratory failure, coma, and death.

What Happens When People Abuse Pain-Relieving Drugs?

Individuals usually only use opioids and other pain relievers to enable them to manage pain for a short period of time. Prescription medicines are safe when used by the means they were intended. To take away the pain, opioids can also provide the user with a sense of well-being or euphoria. These consequences can induce people to take these drugs in higher doses than their doctor prescribed. Some individuals may also take another person’s medication to get high.

Opioids are highly addictive. Symptoms of an OUD are:

  • Being incapable of controlling or lessen the use of opioids
  • Spending so much time trying to get the painkiller
  • Using opioids longer than scheduled to
  • Requiring more of the drug or requiring to take it more frequently than prescribed
  • If somebody shows indications of opioid addiction, they require medically supervised detox and treatment to evade dangerous withdrawal signs and later relapse.
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