What are opioids, and how can they destroy a body?
What are opioids?
Opioids are a class of drugs that includes the illegal drug heroin as well as powerful pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), codeine, morphine, fentanyl and many others. These drugs are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the brain. Opioid pain relievers are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by a doctor, but they are frequently misused because they produce euphoria in addition to pain relief.
Opioids’ effects on the body
Abuse of opiates, whether prescription painkillers or heroin, can have a serious impact. Here’s a look at how the drug affects every part of your body, potentially leading to permanent damage to your health.
Mind games
Long-term use of opioids has been found to be associated with a heightened risk of anxiety, anger, mood swings, paranoia, difficulty thinking, decrease in responsiveness, lower awareness, delirium, mental depression and vivid dreams.
Lungs
Because opiates suppress the body’s ability to breathe, they interfere with the normal function of the lungs. Thus medical research has found that opiate abuse poses a greater risk of pneumonia. The inhalation of painkillers, as when opiates are smoked, also results in a buildup of fluids in the lungs.
Kidneys
Chronic use of painkillers for years can have a directly damaging effect on the kidneys, leading to the need for dialysis or transplant. It is not the opiate in the painkillers that disables the kidneys, but the secondary agents such as acetaminophen.
Eyes/vision
Tightly constricted pupils make response to low light difficult, impairing vision. In addition, the constriction of the blood vessels can lead to loss of vision or blurred vision.
Teeth
Opioids can make your mouth dry. Chronic dry mouth leads to acid erosion of tooth enamel.
Heart
Heart lining can become infected due to contamination from crushed pills or heroin. Opioids can increase the risk of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which there are long pauses between breaths when you sleep. This leads to low oxygen levels, which can damage your heart.
Liver
Damage can occur due to acetaminophen in prescription painkillers. Adding alcohol to the mix — as many opiate abusers do — makes an already risky situation worse.
Blood
Heroin or crushed pill injections can cause veins to collapse. Contaminants in heroin can clog blood vessels throughout the body, causing organ damage. Hepatitis C can spread via shared needles, and the risk of contracted HIV increases.
Digestive system
Opioids slow sending messages along the nerves inside your intestines, causing constipation, nausea and bloating.
Read more:
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Sources: Centers for Disease Control, The National Institute for Drug Abuse, drugabuse.com, Getty Images
Research by Kent Travis / USA TODAY NETWORK