Opioids are found naturally in the poppy plant. Commonly, people associate opioids with heroin.
However, opioids are commonly used in medical settings to treat a variety of health issues.
In particular, opioids are used to treat severe pain – whether chronic pain or pain associated with addiction.
With regards to the latter, opioids are used to treat people overcoming withdrawal symptoms, such as those that are withdrawing from heroin.
The main downside of prescription opioids is that they a highly addictive.
In the UK, it is estimated that between 12.8% to 13.9% of adults are prescribed opioids.
In England, in the most recent study, it was found that there were 1092 deaths related to opioid use.
Within the opiate group, admittance for drug-related treatment was 20%.
For more information on opioid use in the UK, see more here.
The purpose of this article is to discuss prescription opioids and addiction.
It will discuss what prescription opioids are, how they affect a person, the signs of addiction, and how to get help.
Prescription opioids, as mentioned, are used to treat severe pain; this might include anything from toothache and injury to chronic conditions and surgery.
They are made synthetically and serve to help the body relax.
There are several common types of prescription opioids, including:
Those that suffer from heroin addiction might also be prescribed an opioid such as Methadone.
This type of opioid functions to reduce heroin withdrawal symptoms and help people gradually obtain sobriety.
Prescription opioids come in a variety of forms, such as tablets, suppositories, solutions, syrups, and capsules.
The potency of the prescription opioid will be different for each person and will be based on the reason for which the opioid is being used.
Someone that has been prescribed Methadone for heroin addiction, for example, might take anything from 10mg to 40mg per day. (1)
Prescription opioids affect the brain in various ways.
Primarily, opioids attach to opioid receptors in nerve cells in the brain; this then prevents, or reduces, pain messages that the body sends to the brain.
This can result in a variety of symptoms, such as euphoria. Opioids impact a person’s reward circuit – the part of the brain responsible for feelings of pleasure. (2)
Other symptoms of opioid use include:
Like most substances, prolonged use can lead to addiction.
For opioids, this occurs as a result of the continued activation of the brain’s rewards system – this encourages people to keep using so they continue to feel euphoric and happy.
Continued use will also build a tolerance and the person will need more of the substance to garner the desired effect.
Over time, the brain will become dependent upon opioids to function properly.
Opioid addiction is commonly referred to as Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).
Without it, people will begin to withdraw and detox – something that can be an arduous experience.
Opioid withdrawal and detoxification are covered in more detail below. (3)
In addition to the risk of addiction, prolonged use of prescription opioids can lead to a range of mental and physical health issues.
For example, these might include:
One of the most serious risk factors of opioid use is overdose: the consumption of a substance that is fatal. (4)
This can occur due to several things:
To prevent overdose from opioids people are advised to always carry naloxone – a specialised medicine for reversing the effects of opioids.
Knowing whether addiction has occurred can be difficult, as symptoms can vary from person to person and be dependent on a person’s age and tolerance levels.
However, there are some important signs to look out for.
Probably the clearest sign that addiction has occurred is if the person experiences withdrawal.
Withdrawal is an intense craving for a substance and only tends to occur when both the brain and body have become dependent on the substance. (5)
Withdrawal can lead to the person experiencing a range of unpleasant symptoms.
For opioid addiction, these include:
The duration of withdrawal can also vary from person to person. Again, this will depend on the person’s age and how long they have been using it.
In most cases, however, the detoxification process – how long it takes for the body to expel the substance – usually takes between 7 to 12 days.
People will usually start to feel better after several days, however.
In addition to withdrawal, most people that are suffering from addiction will experience noticeable changes in their personality and behaviours.
With regard to the latter, people that are dependent upon opioids will often become irrational.
This happens due to the effect that opioids have on the brain.
Because the brain has become dependent on the substance, without it, various parts of the brain will take a while to go back to normal.
This might also lead people to become paranoid, emotionally unstable, or to experience depression and anxiety. (6)
Most addictions also lead to behaviour changes, such as:
For those that suffer from opioid addiction, the UK is home to many services and organisations that can help.
There are a range of free organisations that offer services related to opioid addiction, such as SMART Recovery, FRANK, and Narcotics Anonymous.
Services, such as these, can provide:
For more information about free services in the UK, please follow this link.
Many people wonder if the NHS provides treatment for opioid addiction – the answer to this is both yes and no.
The NHS provides outpatient programs and funding to enter residential programs (more on the difference between inpatient and outpatient below).
With regards to the latter, most NHS outpatient programs can be accessed through a GP.
As for funding, this is a lot harder to secure.
Firstly, it requires an initial assessment and then a recommendation from a GP.
Secondly, funding from the NHS often requires people to meet strict criteria, such as having already accessed local services or having withdrawn before entering rehab.
Alternatively, the UK is home to many great private rehab facilities. The caveat is that these can be expensive.
According to the latest statistics, the average UK-based rehab costs between £300 to £500 per day. (7)
The two most common types of treatment for opioid addiction are inpatient and outpatient treatment.
Both offer similar treatment programs in that they both follow a four-stage process:
However, inpatient and outpatient treatment vary in different ways.
The main difference is that inpatient treatment requires the person to stay overnight at a facility and outpatient does not.
Instead, those that are receiving outpatient treatment, will attend weekly appointments (usually between 12 to 14 hours per week).
People might attend a GP’s clinic, a local service, or a local hospital.
The duration of treatment is also different. On average, inpatient treatment lasts between 29 to 90 days.
Outpatient treatment usually lasts between 6 months to a year.
The reason for this is that inpatient treatment is more intense. People will have access to 24/7 support.
This is the main downside to outpatient treatment – people will have to contend with some issues themselves.
In addition, people that are undergoing outpatient treatment will be exposed to potential triggers.
However, outpatient treatment is useful for people that have other engagements, such as work or childcare. (8)
One of the best ways to overcome opioid addiction and maintain sobriety is to undergo therapy.
Many great therapies can help people that are suffering from opioid addiction.
Popular examples include:
CBT is a very popular therapy for dealing with addiction.
The reason for this is that CBT focuses on the link between thoughts and behaviours.
That is, CBT theorises that most actions are predicated by certain negative thought patterns, such as negative thoughts leading people to use a substance.
The goal of CBT is to uncover these thoughts and change them from negative to positive; this should result in positive behaviour changes.
Another common type of therapy is talk therapy. Here, people will sit with a medical professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, and talk about what might have led to the addiction.
People might be expected to talk about their childhood, family, relationships, and past trauma.
The professional will then look to offer advice on how to best overcome and deal with these issues.
Finally, a tried and tested therapy type is group therapy.
As the name suggests, people will be in a group of their peers and discuss their experiences and struggles with addiction.
This can help alleviate feelings of loneliness and encourage accountability. (9)
Get help today by calling Rehab 4 Addiction at 0800 140 4690.
(1) Brady, Kathleen T., Jenna L. McCauley, and Sudie E. Back. “Prescription opioid misuse, abuse, and treatment in the United States: an update.” American Journal of Psychiatry 173, no. 1 (2016): 18-26.
(2) Dhalla, Irfan A., Navindra Persaud, and David N. Juurlink. “Facing up to the prescription opioid crisis.” Bmj 343 (2011).
(3) Serdarevic, Mirsada, Catherine W. Striley, and Linda B. Cottler. “Gender differences in prescription opioid use.” Current opinion in psychiatry 30, no. 4 (2017): 238.
(4) van Amsterdam, Jan, and Wim Van den Brink. “The misuse of prescription opioids: a threat for Europe?.” Current drug abuse reviews 8, no. 1 (2015): 3-14.
(5) Miech, Richard, Lloyd Johnston, Patrick M. O’Malley, Katherine M. Keyes, and Kennon Heard. “Prescription opioids in adolescence and future opioid misuse.” Pediatrics 136, no. 5 (2015): e1169-e1177.
(6) Weisberg, Daniel F., William C. Becker, David A. Fiellin, and Cathy Stannard. “Prescription opioid misuse in the United States and the United Kingdom: cautionary lessons.” International Journal of Drug Policy 25, no. 6 (2014): 1124-1130.
(7) Brady, Kathleen T., Jenna L. McCauley, and Sudie E. Back. “Prescription opioid misuse, abuse, and treatment in the United States: an update.” American Journal of Psychiatry 173, no. 1 (2016): 18-26.
(8) Finney, John W., Annette C. Hahn, and Rudolf H. Moos. “The effectiveness of inpatient and outpatient treatment for alcohol abuse: the need to focus on mediators and moderators of setting effects.” Addiction 91, no. 12 (1996): 1773-1796.
(9) Wilson, G. Terence. “Eating disorders, obesity and addiction.” European Eating Disorders Review 18, no. 5 (2010): 341-351.
Boris is our editor-in-chief at Rehab 4 Addiction. Boris is an addiction expert with more than 20 years in the field. His expertise covers a broad of topics relating to addiction, rehab and recovery. Boris is an addiction therapist and assists in the alcohol detox and rehab process. Boris has been featured on a variety of websites, including the BBC, Verywell Mind and Healthline. You can connect with Boris online at LinkedIn or X.com.
