HEALTH TIP

Narcotics users can develop tolerance, as well as psychological and physical dependence to opioids when they take them over an extended period of time.

• Tolerance refers to a decreased response to a drug, with increasing doses required to achieve comparable effects.
• Psychological dependence refers to compulsive drug use in which a person uses the drug for personal satisfaction, often in spite of knowing the health risks.
• Physical dependence occurs when a person stops using the narcotic but experiences a withdrawal syndrome (or set of symptoms).
• Signs and symptoms of narcotic abuse
  • analgesia (feeling no pain),
  • sedation,
  • euphoria,
  • respiratory depression (shallow breathing),
  • small pupils, bloodshot eyes,
  • nausea, vomiting,
  • itching skin, flushed skin,
  • constipation,
  • slurred speech,
  • confusion, poor judgment, and
  • needle marks on the skin.

Signs and symptoms of narcotic withdrawal:

• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Craving for the drug
• Increased respiratory rate (rapid breathing)
• Yawning
• Runny nose
• Salivation
• Gooseflesh
• Nasal stuffiness
• Muscle aches and pains
• Nausea or vomiting
• Abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea
• Sweating
• Confusion
• Enlarged pupils
• Tremors
• Lack of appetite

Complications of narcotic abuse: Many complications can result from narcotic abuse, the most common being infectious conditions.

• Infections of the skin and deeper layers
• Abscesses in skin, lungs, and brain
• Infection of the heart valves
• Pneumonia
• Fluid in the lungs
• Liver dysfunction
• Intestinal slowdown
• Seizures
• Coma and other neurological complications
• Infectious arthritis
• Loss of menstrual cycle
• Overdose and death
• Premature and growth-retarded infants
• Neonatal withdrawal: Up to 70% of babies delivered from pregnant women who use narcotics experience neonatal withdrawal, a potentially fatal condition.
• Memory problems 
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•  People who use narcotics or other drugs of abuse and are interested in quitting should contact their doctor or local hospital for information on how to get involved with a detoxification and addiction recovery program.
• Any person suspected of narcotic overdose requires immediate medical attention and must be taken to a hospital's emergency department.
• The main physical signs of narcotic overdose are small pupils and respiratory depression (shallow breathing) that can lead to decreased oxygen in the blood, coma, and death.
• Street methods of overdose resuscitation, such as packing the person in ice or injecting milk or saliva, do not work.