ks, and collapsed veins (if injected)
- Constipation and stomach pain
- Infections, including pneumonia and HIV
- Liver or kidney problems
An overdose of heroin can result in respiratory failure and death. Anxiety and insomnia can occur if the person stops using for a time.
2. Prescription Opiates
Also extracted from or synthesized to resemble morphine, these drugs act on the body similarly to heroin. Unlike heroin, they are legal for medical use. WebMD describes some of the uses: providing help in controlling pain or sedating patients as a support to anesthesia for surgery. Some are also used to prevent coughing and can provide help with other medical conditions.
However, these prescriptions are often misused or abused for their euphoric properties, and they can result in similar physical and mental responses and addiction. Pills are taken orally, or they may be crushed and dissolved for injection.
Prescription opiates that are abused include, but are not limited to:
Symptoms of a prescription opiate problem are similar to those of heroin addiction. In addition, some signs that might be noted include multiple prescriptions from different doctors, running out of pills before expected, or missing or stolen pills from another person’s prescription.
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Benzodiazepines were developed for medical use to control certain mental conditions, such as anxiety or panic attacks, and physical conditions, like insomnia. They can even be used to help control seizures. As explained by the Center for Substance Abuse Research, these are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs around the world.
However, these nervous system depressants can also provide a euphoric effect, similar to that experienced with heroin or other opiate use, and they react in the brain in ways that can quickly result in addiction. As a result, they are also some of the most highly abused drugs, and they are considered to be a major element of the drug abuse epidemic.
Benzos include drugs such as:
- Rohypnol (known widely as the “date rape” drug)
Symptoms resulting from benzo addiction may include:
- Loss of coordination or muscle weakness
- Slurred speech
- Cognitive impairment
- Drowsiness or fatigue
- Depression or moodiness
Similar to the issues found with other prescription drug abuse, people who are addicted to benzos may obtain multiple prescriptions from different doctors or pharmacies, or pills may be used up too quickly or stolen.
As described by the National Institutes of Health’s MedLine encyclopedia, methamphetamine is a highly potent stimulant drug ingested as a pill, snorted or injected in powder form, or smoked in its crystal form. Use results in an intense, quick high that has a powerful effect on the brain, resulting in quick addiction. It creates a feeling of energy, control, and intense focus, and it produces euphoria during the initial high.
Visual images of people who are addicted to methamphetamine (meth or crystal meth) have saturated the media in many places. This is because addiction to meth has some specific physical effects that are easy to spot, including:
- Meth mouth: loose, rotting teeth or tooth loss, and dry mouth
- Open, irritated sores on the body that will not heal
- Potentially dangerous weight loss
- Excessive muscle twitching and nervousness
Other symptoms of addiction to meth include:
- Itchiness and constant picking at the skin
- High body temperature and increased heart rate and breathing
- Agitation or mood swings
- Aggression or violent behavior
- Depression and fatigue between uses
Cocaine is another type of stimulant that NIDA describes as having once been used medically. In some rare cases, it still is; however, cocaine has also become a highly popular street drug. Along with the usual feeling of euphoria that comes from using most addictive substances, cocaine can also make a person feel particularly alert and energetic.
People who are addicted to cocaine may experience symptoms of:
- Dilated pupils and hypersensitivity