Opioid Abuse & Treatment Options

How Can I Identify Opioid Abuse?

Only medical or clinical professionals can diagnose someone with an opioid addiction, also known as opioid use disorder (OUD). However, there are some signs you can look out for that could mean that someone has a problem with misusing opioids. These signs can include:^{7, 8}

Opioid Use Disorder Criteria

An OUD is a clinical diagnosis that means a person is no longer able to control their opioid use despite harmful consequences. A person who receives this diagnosis meets at least 2 of the following criteria over a 12-month period:⁹

• Using opioids in higher amounts or more frequent doses than you intended.
• Wanting to cut down or stop opioid use yet being unable to do so.
• Spending a lot of time trying to get, use, and recover from the effects of opioids.
• Cravings, meaning strong desires to use opioids.
• Being unable to meet responsibilities at work, home, or school due to your opioid use.
• Continuing to use opioids even though you experience ongoing problems in your relationships and social life that are probably due to opioid use.
• Giving up activities you once enjoyed so you can use opioids.
• Using opioids in physically dangerous situations (where you can cause harm to yourself or others, such as while driving.).
• Continuing to use opioids even though you’ve developed a physical or mental problem that you know is probably due to opioid use.
• Experiencing tolerance, where you need to use higher amounts or more frequent doses of the drug to achieve previous effects.
• Developing withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop using.

Misusing Prescription Medication

Misusing prescription medication means that you use a drug in a way that it’s not intended. This can mean continuing to take a medication when you no longer need it for medical purposes, taking someone else’s prescription (even if you have a legitimate problem that makes you feel it’s necessary), or using the medication to get high.

People may also say that a drug is used for nonmedical purposes when they refer to prescription drug misuse.¹⁰

What Are the Side Effects of Prescription Opioids?

Even when taken as directed by your doctor, you can experience unpleasant side effects of opioids. Opioid side effects can include:¹

• Sleepiness.
• Dizziness.
• Confusion.
• Dry mouth.
• Constipation.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.

Risks and Effects of Long-Term Opioid Use

With long-term use, prescription opioids can lead to:^{2, 11}

• Tolerance, meaning that your body needs higher and/or more frequent doses to get the desired effects
• Dependence, meaning that your body has adapted to the presence of the drug and you need it to feel normal and to function.
• Increased pain sensitivity.
• An increased risk of falls and fractures (typically in older adults).
• Intestinal blockages, which can result in hospitalization and death.
• Respiratory effects like sleep-disordered breathing, sleep apnea, and hypoxemia (low oxygen levels in the blood). Opioids, particularly if you overdose, can also cause hypoxia, a condition that results when your brain does not receive enough oxygen. This can cause coma, permanent brain damage, and even death.
• Low testosterone levels, which can cause low sex drive, reduced energy, and diminished strength.
• An increased risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and heart failure, when opioids are used over long periods of time.
• Mental health risks like depression.
• Suppressed immune system when used long-term.

Signs and Symptoms of an Opioid Overdose

Anyone who takes prescription opioids is at risk of an unintentional opioid overdose, which could be fatal.¹² You may have an increased risk of opioid overdose if you use other substances (including alcohol) with opioids, take high doses of opioids, take more of the drug than you were initially prescribed, take illegal opioids like heroin or fentanyl, are older than 65, or if you have other medical conditions, such as sleep apnea or kidney or liver issues.¹³

An opioid overdose can cause signs and symptoms such as:¹³

• Small or pinpoint pupils.
• Losing or complete loss of consciousness.
• Slow, shallow, erratic, or completely stopped breathing.
• Making choking or gurgling sounds.
• Vomiting.
• A limp body.
• Unresponsiveness or awake, but unable to talk/respond.
• Pale, blue, or cold skin.
• Slow, erratic, or absent pulse (heartbeat).

How Can I Get Help for an Opioid Addiction?

Recovery from opioid addiction is possible. Seeking opioid addiction treatment can help you or a loved one recover from opioid misuse or illicit opioid use. Common therapies and treatments that may be used include medications and/or behavioral therapies.^{2, 14, 15}

Medications are often used to help control cravings, help prevent relapse, and ease unpleasant and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. These medications often include:^{15, 16, 17}

• Methadone. This is known as a full opioid agonist, which means that it binds fully to opioid receptors, which helps to suppress withdrawal symptoms and alleviate cravings for opioids.
• Buprenorphine. This is a partial opioid agonist, meaning it partially acts on opioid receptors. It is effective at reducing withdrawal symptoms, cravings for opioids, and risk of opioid overdose.
• Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist, which blocks the effects of opioids, so you won’t experience effects if you use them. It is only used to help prevent relapse in people who have already completed detox.

Behavioral therapy may be used alone or combined with medications (called medication-assisted treatment). It can be done in one-on-one sessions with a counselor/therapist or in a group setting. Types of behavioral therapy include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy to help you make changes to the thoughts and behaviors that may have contributed to your addiction.
• Motivational interviewing to help increase your motivation to make positive life changes.
• Contingency management, a rewards-based treatment that involves providing tangible goods and positive reinforcement for behavioral change.

Detoxing from Prescription Opioids

Methadone and buprenorphine may be started during medical detox, which is typically the first step in treating an opioid use disorder. Medical detox from prescription opioids is a beneficial way to help you safely and comfortably stop using opioids and manage your withdrawal symptoms. You’ll receive medical supervision and support as you go through withdrawal.

River Oaks for Prescription Opioid Addiction Treatment

From safe medical detox through to inpatient and outpatient treatment and aftercare planning, River Oaks Treatment Center has many different options when it comes to treatment for prescription opioid addiction. Call our admissions navigators at or explore our treatments and facility below to learn more about us, our personalized treatment plans, and more.