{"id":7478,"date":"2018-02-05T22:27:18","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T03:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10028\/uncategorized\/seven-signs-symptoms-opioid-prescription-danger\/"},"modified":"2022-08-18T21:26:11","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T01:26:11","slug":"seven-signs-symptoms-opioid-prescription-danger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/article\/seven-signs-symptoms-opioid-prescription-danger\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Signs and Symptoms: Opioid Prescription Danger"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Modern medicine has made life easier for many and has helped extend our lives as well. But with all the good that has come there is also a darker side, one of which is the abuse and addiction that comes with potent pain killers, especially opioids. When a physician prescribes an opioid like oxycodone or hydrocodone there are many side effects and warnings listed on the label, but one that few people ever talk about is addiction. Many physicians do not bring up addiction for fear or turning patients off their medication recommendations and most individuals do not understand how quickly addiction can happen. It is an assumption that drug addiction and abuse happens over time and only in those who have already abused drugs or alcohol &#8211; <strong>this is a dangerous falsehood<\/strong>. \u00a0Addiction can happen quickly \u2014 within a few weeks \u2014 and depends upon the specific drug. We have seen many people struggle with the addiction of opioid pain medication and have stood there beside families who have suffered the loss of a loved one due to opioid addiction. To help break the chain of addiction we wanted to share some of the warning signs you need to be on the lookout for when it comes to opioid prescription addiction:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What Are Opioids Exactly?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cAn opioid is any agent that binds to\u00a0opioid receptors(protein molecules located on the membranes of some nerve cells) found principally in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract, and elicits a response\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.naabt.org\/education\/opiates_opioids.cfm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NAABT<\/a>). There are four broad classes of opioids:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Endogenous opioids<\/strong> which the body produces naturally as hormones and endorphins<\/li>\n<li><strong>Opium alkaloids<\/strong> which include potent pain pills likes morphine and codeine<\/li>\n<li><strong>Semi-synthetic opioids<\/strong> that include illegal drugs like heroin<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fully synthetic<\/strong> and are totally manmade and distinctly difference than naturals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Symptoms to be Looking Out For<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>According to the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/prescription-drug-abuse\/basics\/symptoms\/CON-20032471\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mayo Clinic<\/a>, the warning signs you need to be on the lookout for when it comes to issues related to\u00a0prescription opioid painkillers include these physical symptoms and signs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Constipation\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 severe stomach discomfort can lead to poor eating habits long-term<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nausea\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 upset stomach and occasional vomiting leads to other health issues over time<\/li>\n<li><strong>Drowsiness\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 lack of energy, unusual sleeping habits, apathy, and lack of motivation<\/li>\n<li><strong>Slowed breathing\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 breathing issues, especially when sleeping, is common<\/li>\n<li><strong>Confusion<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 extended use leads to memory and cognitive issues<\/li>\n<li><strong>Poor Coordination\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 fumbling, being clumsy, tripping, falling, and dropping things<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increased pain<\/strong> \u2013 abuse lowers the pain fighting effect and requires higher dose<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You should also be on the lookout for other signs that are more behavioral and characteristic in nature. These can be a little harder to see at first but are often the signs that finally tip of friends and family to the possibility of an opioid problem:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Stealing <\/strong>\u2013 money for medication or stealing medication from others<\/li>\n<li><strong>Intentional overdose<\/strong> \u2013 taking more pills at a time than prescribed by doctors<\/li>\n<li><strong>Changes in personality<\/strong> \u2013 excessive mood swings, new attitudes, unusual aggression<\/li>\n<li><strong>Changes in sleep<\/strong> \u2013 sleeping more than normal or long bouts of insomnia are common<\/li>\n<li><strong>Poor choices<\/strong> \u2013 work, school, relationships, finances, and safety are compromised<\/li>\n<li><strong>Appearing to be high<\/strong> \u2013 more energetic or revved up than normal or overly sedated<\/li>\n<li><strong>Doctor-hopping<\/strong> \u2013 going to multiple doctors and clinics to get more prescriptions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Getting Help for Opioid Abuse<\/h2>\n<p>If you or a loved one has a problem with prescription drug use it is important to talk to someone about it &#8211; bring up your concerns with your doctor so an alternative medication can be tried. If someone you know is abusing opioid pain pills and is at risk for overdosing, you need to notify the proper authorities and take steps to get them the help they need- even if they do not want it and even if they do not think they have a problem. Don\u2019t feel embarrassed or fearful of betraying the confidence of a friend or family member. It\u2019s far easier to tackle the problem of prescription drug abuse early. Intervention at the start is essential for success and you need to get help for yourself or someone you know before it becomes a dangerous addiction that leads to more-serious health or life-threatening behaviors. You cannot ignore opioid addiction and abuse!<\/p>\n<p>Addiction is not always the fault of the victim. At Napoli Shkolnik, we believe that a large quantity of opioid addictions are caused by over-prescribing by doctors, and the alleged deceptive marketing practices set in place by the manufacturers and distributors. We have established a <a href=\"\/office-of-governmental-affairs-opioid-lawyers\/\">task force<\/a> that is working together with state and local governments to help combat this opioid crisis and fund relief, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Modern medicine has made life easier for many and has helped extend our lives as well. But with all the good that has come there is also a darker side,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[785],"tags":[877],"class_list":["post-7478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opioid-crisis","tag-drug-side-effects"],"acf":[],"page_builder_type":"gutenberg","gutenberg_data":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}