Long-Term Effects of Opioids

Opioids include prescription painkillers and illegal substances like heroin. They are effective for pain management, but their use comes with risks, especially over an extended period. Long-term opioid use can lead to consequences that are physical, mental and social and extend far beyond the initial reasons for taking them. Understanding the potential effects is critical whether you’re personally struggling with opioids or you have a loved one who is.

What Happens When You First Take Opioids?

The initial short-term effects of opioids can be felt quickly.

1. Administration: If you take an opioid orally, like as a pill, it passes through the digestive system. It’s absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestines, and it’s a process that can take 20 to 30 minutes. When they’re injected into a vein, the effects are almost immediate. Smoking opioids also leads to rapid effects.
2. Initial onset: Once in your bloodstream, opioids travel to the brain and bind to opioid receptors in areas of the brain responsible for pain and pleasure. This reduces pain signals that make their way to the brain. The process can also trigger dopamine to be released, which is why opioids cause you to feel high or euphoric.
3. Physiological effects: Opioids cause respiratory depression because they affect the brain stem. This slowdown in breathing is one of their most dangerous short-term effects. Other short-term effects include lethargy, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting.
4. Short-term behavior changes: You might initially feel an elevated mood from opioids, but that can then be followed by mood swings or irritability when the effects wear off. Impaired judgment, coordination, and reaction times also can happen with opioids.
5. Dependence: Over time, you might develop a tolerance to opioids, leading you to use higher doses, and your body may start relying on the drug for normal functioning. At that point, withdrawal can happen if you’re not using opioids.

Physical Long-Term Effects of Opioid Use

Opioid use over extended periods can lead to serious consequences.

1. Tolerance and dependence: As mentioned, with continued use of opioids, your body becomes tolerant to the effects. Over time, you need bigger doses, and dependence leads to withdrawal symptoms when you’re not taking the drug. Opioid withdrawal symptoms can include flu-like symptoms, gastrointestinal distress and severe pain. There’s a higher risk of overdosing when you develop a tolerance as well.
2. Respiratory issues: Opioids depress the respiratory system, and over time, this can weaken your breathing function, making it hard for your body to get enough oxygen. Chronic opioid use can lead to hypoxia—low oxygen levels in the blood. That can damage organs, including the brain.
3. Hormonal imbalances: Opioids affect the production of hormones like estrogen and testosterone because they affect the hypothalamus, which is the part of the brain that regulates hormone production. For men, this potentially leads to erectile dysfunction, low libido and infertility. Women can experience reduced fertility, irregular menstrual cycles and other reproductive issues.
4. Gastrointestinal problems: Taking opioids causes a slowdown in the digestive system because they bind to opioid receptors here. Chronic constipation can be a side effect and lead to more serious complications, including bowel obstruction or perforation.
5. Cardiovascular issues: There are changes in heart rate and blood pressure that happen when you take opioids. Over time, the effects can lead to cardiovascular disease and elevate the risk of heart attacks and arrhythmia.
6. Immune system suppression: Long-term opioid use impacts the production of white blood cells, increasing the risk of infections and the ability to heal from injuries or illnesses.
7. Liver damage: Opioids are metabolized by the liver, and prolonged use can put too much stress on it and cause damage, especially if you’re combining opioids with other substances like alcohol or acetaminophen. Chronic opioid use can contribute to fibrosis or cirrhosis, impairing liver function and contributing to life-threatening complications.
8. Kidney damage: When taking opioids, they reduce blood flow to the kidneys and can throw off electrolyte balance. This is worsened by dehydration, which often comes with opioid use. Over time, stress on the kidneys can cause chronic kidney disease or acute kidney failure. These conditions can require dialysis or, in severe cases, lead to the need for a kidney transplant.

Mental Effects of Long-Term Opioid Use

1. Addiction and behavioral changes: Opioids interact with the reward system of the brain and release large amounts of dopamine. That’s what creates feelings of pleasure and reinforces drug-taking behavior. With long-term use, this can change your brain’s function and structure. Addiction is when you’re compulsively seeking drugs, even when facing negative consequences because of it.
2. Cognitive impairment: Chronic opioid use can affect areas of the brain that are part of decision-making, memory and learning. With long-term use, users might face problems with problem-solving and attention, which can affect their day-to-day functioning. This can impact their overall quality of life as they struggle with tasks that require mental clarity.
3. Mood disorders: Long-term opioid use raises the risk of developing mood disorders like depression. That can make drug use worse if it becomes a means of self-medicating. There’s also the risk of other mental health conditions like anxiety, and they can be harder to treat when they’re occurring along with addiction.

What Else Should You Know About the Long-Term Effects of Opioids?

As well as effects on your physical and mental health, long-term opioid use has other consequences as well. If drug use becomes a priority, as is the case with addiction, it can damage relationships. That leads to social isolation and the loss of key support systems. Financial instability also often stems from addiction, and there may be legal issues that arise.

The longer someone uses opioids, the tougher it can be to quit. The brain chemistry changes that come from prolonged opioid use make it hard to break free from addiction without professional help.

Over time, the risk of overdose increases, and that puts a person’s immediate life in danger.

Why Receive Treatment At San Diego Detox?

At San Diego Detox, we take a comprehensive and luxurious approach to opioid addiction treatment, blending modern medical therapies with holistic practices that heal the mind, body, and spirit. Our holistic therapies, such as yoga and meditation, are carefully integrated with evidence-based medical care, allowing us to create a transformative and restorative treatment experience. With our upscale amenities and a dedicated team focused on your well-being, we guide you on a journey to recovery that prioritizes comfort, safety, and long-term sobriety. Together, we embark on a profound path to complete healing.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with opioids, the long-term effects are serious, but recovery is possible with the right support. At San Diego Detox, our treatment programs include compassionate and comprehensive care to help with overcoming opioid addiction and also starting on a path to a generally healthier lifestyle. Take the first step toward recovery today by contacting us to learn more about our addiction treatment programs and begin your healing journey.