Opioids are some of the most addictive substances in existence today. Consequently, they’ve made a devastating impact on our society. In 2021 alone, 2.5 million adults in the United States suffered from opioid addiction—and only one in five of them received medications to treat it, shares the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
As opioid abuse remains pervasive in our communities, it’s important to learn how to recognize both opioid addiction symptoms and opioid overdose symptoms. Doing so can save your addicted loved one’s life and set them on a path of long-term recovery in opioid abuse treatment.
How Opioid Addiction Happens
Prescription opioids are still recommended by certain physicians today. If your loved one takes opioids prescribed by your doctor, it doesn’t mean they’ll get addicted to them. Opioids are primarily used as painkillers, but they can also reduce the heart rate and lower respiration with misuse. Opioids can even cause your loved one to feel a sense of euphoria. Common prescription opioids, shares the National Institute on Drug Abuse, include:
- Hydrocodone (Vicodin®)
- Oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet®)
- Oxymorphone (Opana®)
- Morphine (Kadian®, Avinza®)
- Codeine
- Fentanyl
Opioids by design are meant to be taken only for a short time. But if someone continues to use them well past their prescribed time frame, they can start down a path of opioid addiction. Before long, they’re obtaining pills through illicit means, such as stealing someone else’s prescription or buying them off the street. These decisions can also leave them vulnerable to opioid overdose symptoms (more on that later).
Substance Use Disorder, Behind the Scenes
As a comprehensive drug and alcohol addiction treatment center, we understand the inner workings of substance use disorder at Sana at Stowe. For starters, it isn’t simply an issue of poor self-discipline or bad decisions. There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes.
When a loved one uses prescription opioids, the drug blocks pain receptors in your brain while simultaneously releasing large amounts of dopamine, a chemical the brain associates with pleasure and reward. As a result, the brain ties opioids to pleasure, so your loved one wants to continue taking the drug to achieve the happy, euphoric feelings they initially had.
However, continuing to misuse opioids for an extended period of time leads your loved one to develop a tolerance to the drug. Consequently, they need stronger, more frequent doses to achieve the same high. Before long, their opioid abuse turns into an opioid addiction, where they’re unable to stop using opioids.
The opioid withdrawal symptoms experienced when they don’t take the drug also make it harder to quit. Your loved one has developed a chemical dependency on opioids, after all, so their body and brain equate opioids as necessary to your survival.
Common Opioid Addiction Symptoms
If someone is struggling with opioid addiction, they’ll likely do their best to hide it from others. However, there are some key opioid addiction signs you can look for if you’re concerned about a loved one, including:
- Denial: Denial in addiction is common. If you’ve been asking your loved one about their opioid use and they brush it off, it could be one of the signs of opioid abuse.
- Unavailability: An addicted loved one will spend much of their time obtaining opioids, using them, and recovering from their effects. That means you may notice that they’re abnormally unavailable or busy, or even avoid spending time with you out of fear of being found out.
- Fatigue: Over time, opioid addiction can negatively impact your loved one’s sleep cycle. In essence, the drug affects their circadian rhythms, causing less restorative sleep and rapid eye movement. As a result, they’re often tired due to poor sleep quality.
- Financial difficulty: A loved one struggling with opioid addiction symptoms can spend substantial amounts of money to get pills. They may also take identifiable (and desperate) financial steps to pay for opioids, such as withdrawing large cash amounts, selling prized possessions, and stealing.
- Weight loss: Sudden weight loss is one of the most noticeable opioid addiction symptoms. Opioid usage lowers metabolism in general, so when a loved one is addicted, they don’t have much of an appetite at all, leading to skipped meals and malnutrition.
- Mood swings: With an opioid addiction, the brain’s neurotransmitters—responsible for motivation, mood, and reward—are out of balance. That means your loved one is susceptible to dramatic mood swings.
The Connection Between Opioid Addiction and Opioid Overdose Symptoms
As mentioned earlier, the body can develop a tolerance to opioids over time. This leads your loved one to up their dosage and usage frequency as opioid addiction takes hold. However, this built-up opioid tolerance unfortunately puts them at risk of an opioid overdose.
An opioid overdose can happen when your loved one has too many opioids in their system or mixes their opioids with other drugs or alcohol. When their body is overwhelmed with opioids, breathing becomes reduced and heart rate slows or stops (telltale signs of opioid overdose). Normal blood flow gets suppressed, and the brain’s oxygen flow decreases. These effects can combine to cause seizures, permanent brain damage, heart attacks, choking, and death.
Common Opioid Overdose Symptoms
As you can see, an opioid overdose can be very dangerous. That’s why it’s important to understand the signs of opioid overdose, as it can be the difference between life or death. After all, opioid overdose is life-threatening and requires immediate action. Common opioid overdose symptoms you should learn to recognize may include:
Signs of Opioid Overdose
- Blue or purple fingernails and lips
- Unresponsive to voice or touch
- Pinpoint pupils (center part of eye is very small)
- Slow, irregular, or stopped breathing
- Slow heartbeat or low blood pressure
- Pale, clammy skin
SOURCE: Illinois Department of Public Health
The National Harm Reduction Coalition shares that opioid overdose symptoms can also include a loss of consciousness, being awake but unable to talk, vomiting, going limp, or choking or snore-like gurgling sounds sometimes called the “death rattle.”
How to Respond to the Signs of Opioid Overdose
If you see any of these opioid overdose symptoms in a loved one, you must act quickly. The negative consequences of an overdose can occur in as early as a few minutes.
If the person seems unresponsive, try verbal or physical stimulation (such as yelling their name or rubbing your knuckles on their sternum) to revive them. If this does not work, call 911 immediately to ask for help. Many states have 911 good samaritan laws to protect bystanders and users themselves if they call for medical assistance for a drug overdose.
If you have naloxone on hand—a safe medication that can counter the effects of an opioid overdose—you should administer it right away. Try to keep them conscious and breathing. If they are not breathing, perform CPR or rescue breathing immediately. Put them on their side in the recovery position if they are breathing but unresponsive. Stay with them until emergency help arrives.
Opioid Addiction Treatment in New England
Recognizing the signs of opioid abuse and addiction in your loved one? Don’t let the potential of opioid overdose linger as a constant risk. Instead, it’s important to help them get into addiction rehab, where professional clinicians can treat your loved one’s opioid struggles at the source.
At Sana at Stowe, our New England-based drug addiction treatment program takes a holistic approach to opioid addiction rehab. Trauma-focused, our opioid treatment programs address the underlying root causes (often unhealed past trauma or mental health disorders) driving your loved one’s addiction. By doing so, we empower our clients to reclaim their safety, connection, and self-efficacy—setting the stage for long-term recovery.
Based in Stowe, Vermont, our treatment programs provide medically-supervised detox and inpatient rehab onsite, surrounded by serene green mountains. Clients benefit from evidence-based therapies (such as medication-assisted treatment, traditional talk therapies, etc.) and experiential therapies (including yoga, art therapy, breathwork, and more).
We also provide a complimentary family program, offering therapy, breakout sessions, and group participation alongside your loved one in rehab. To learn more about our treatment options, call us today.
