POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 91 WHAT IS ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOID ANALGESICS? Using prescription opioid analgesics to get "high" is drug abuse. It's unsafe and it can cause very serious physical problems. Prescription opioid analgesics are effective medications for people with pain caused by disease or injury when used under the care of a doctor or other healthcare professional. They can be dangerous when used improperly or abused. No one should ever abuse prescription medications. They are to be taken only when prescribed by a doctor or other healthcare professional, and only for the condition being treated. You can die the very first time you misuse or abuse a prescription opioid analgesic. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOID ANALGESIC ABUSE Here's some of what you can expect if you abuse prescription opioid analgesics. • Abuse can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling faint, inability to urinate, itching, nausea and vomiting. • You could overdose and pass out, and breathing could become very difficult or even stop. And you could die. This can happen the very first time you abuse a prescription opioid analgesic. • It is a crime to give someone else a prescription opioid analgesic. If they die, you could be charged with murder. LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOID ANALGESIC ABUSE Continued abuse of prescription opioid analgesics increases the risks of physical harm. It also increases the chance that you'll become addicted. Some of the conditions that can develop include: • severe constipation. • loss of sexual desire and function. • for girls, disrupted menstrual cycles. For boys, decreased testosterone levels. • you may become malnourished. • you will increase the possibility of overdose — especially when taken with alcohol or other drugs of abuse. • once you're physically dependent, if you stop taking the drug abruptly, you can expect to experience some very unpleasant conditions. These conditions or symptoms of withdrawal include diarrhea, vomiting, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, and involuntary muscle spasms. • you may become addicted. DAMAGING YOUR FUTURE Besides the physical problems caused by abusing prescription opioid analgesics, there is a good chance you may experience all kinds of other consequences: • You could be arrested. Taking prescription medications that are not prescribed for you is against the law. • You could have your driver's license suspended or revoked. A controlled substance offense while driving (DUI — Driving Under the Influence) can result in an automatic suspension of driving privileges. • You could lose some of the people you care about most — your friends. Between addiction and death, there is lying, cheating and stealing. Being a thief, a liar and a drug abuser is not who you want to be and is not someone your friends will want to be with either. • You could seriously affect your relationships with parents, your family and your teachers. It takes a long time to earn trust, and just one bad decision can destroy that trust for a long time. • You could lose privileges you have worked hard to obtain, like having a driver's license or going out on weekends with your friends. You could be asked to leave a club, or be told to give up your favorite activity. • It is possible that you can be expelled from school. • When you apply to college, you could be rejected for abusing drugs. • You may even lose the chance to have the job or career you had always hoped for. Abusing prescription opioid analgesics can harm your body, your mind and the rest of your life, too. (...continued) www.painfullyobvious.com
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