While their effects of pain relief and euphoria are relatively short-lived, prescription and illicit opioids can have a drastic and long-lasting impact on our bodies. In addition to building a tolerance that requires more and more of the drug to feel the same effects and developing a dependence or addiction to the substance, opiates and the brain are a potent mix — and people who use opioids for long periods are at risk of severe and potentially even permanent injuries to their brains. Because of these risks and the devastating consequences of untreated opioid addiction, including the potential for deadly overdoses, getting professional help is important. Let’s explore how opiates alter the brain over time and how a top drug rehab in Los Angeles, like Muse Treatment, can help you or a loved one overcome addiction and get better.
How Do Opioids Affect the Brain Long-Term?
It’s relatively well-known at this point that opioids can affect our brain chemistry during use because changes in dopamine levels cause their effects of temporary pain relief and euphoria. However, the Brain Injury Association of America examined available research for a report that pointed out that brain damage was still seen in people several years after quitting opioids after a long period of use. The association cited a 2006 study that found some people years into recovery still were experiencing cognitive impairments. Imaging has also found a volume loss in the brain. People who are dependent on opioids have measurable impairments in several important areas of brain functioning, such as memory, attention, and executive functions, and their ability to process information is slowed down, making it hard to learn new skills or adjust to changing situations.
More research is needed to determine just how long-lasting these brain injuries are, but the association says it’s clear that brain injury programs need to address the factors that contribute to cognitive functioning for those with opioid-caused problems. Opiates and the brain can cause problems even years after quitting the drugs, and it’s another example of the ways that drug addiction changes the brain.
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Does Opiate Use Affect Memory?
Now that you know about the complicated reaction between opiates and the brain, let’s explore how these drugs can affect the user’s memory.
A 2019 article in Clinical Issues: Substance Use Disorders and the Body looked at past research, including the finding that current chronic opioid users had worsened verbal working memory. Even people who were on methadone, a synthetic drug used as a substitute for people being treated for some kinds of opiate addiction, had deficits in working memory, according to the article.
The Yale School of Medicine says there are reports of people who abused opioids who aren’t able to form new memories due to brain damage. For example, a review of six patients who presented for drug overdose suffering from amnesia ha swelling in parts of the brain related to forming new memories.
What Are the Cognitive Effects of Opiates?
The Clinical Issues article says chronic opioid use appears to affect things like executive functioning, impulsivity, and cognitive flexibility. Studies have also found distinct differences in brain structure of people abusing opioids compared to healthy patients, including atrophy of grey matter and damage to white matter, which enables different parts of the brain to communicate. Grey matter, meanwhile, helps the brain process and relay information to other parts of the body.
In addition to effects between opiates and the brain, these drugs also affect our neural networks in our nervous systems. Like some other drugs, abusing opioids for a long period can also affect the reward system that helps motivate us, making it where things that aren’t substances, such as food or money, are no longer correctly considered. Instead, users will favor drug rewards at the expense of usual motivators.
What Is a Long-Term Effect of Opioids?
Using or abusing opioids for a long period of time can lead to major long-term effects on our physical health, in addition to brain damage or cognitive dysfunction. It’s important to realize that the stages of opiate addiction can lead to poor health and even death if left unaddressed. Here are some of the health risks that can be caused by opioid addiction, according to Yale Medicine:
- Increased risk of injury or death from accidents.
- Risk of infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C for those who use injectable opioids.
- Overdose that can lead to toxic brain injury or death.
- Slowed breathing.
- Constipation.
- Nausea.
- Suppressed immune system.
- Reduced libido.
- Infrequent or absent menstruation.
Muse Treatment Can Help if You’re Worried About Opiates and the Brain
The effect of opiates and the brain’s ability to function correctly can lead to problems with everything from memory and cognitive abilities to being able to manage our impulses and feelings. While these effects are serious and potentially long-lasting, effective help is available at opioid addiction rehab centers in Los Angeles, like Muse Treatment. Our team of experts knows that overcoming addiction requires medical assistance, medicine, and evidence-based therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy. With our help, you or your loved one can address the underlying issues behind this addiction and learn how to handle daily challenges and new situations in a better manner down the road. Learn more about our treatment options today by calling us at 951-708-7904.
External Sources
- Brain Injury Association of America — Persistent and Abusive Use of Opioids
- Wiley Online Library — Opioid Use Disorder and the Brain
- Yale School of Medicine — Memory Loss in Opioid Abuse
- Yale Medicine — Opioid Use Disorder
The post How Do Opiates Alter the Brain Over Time? appeared first on Muse Treatment.
source https://musetreatment.com/blog/opiates-alter-the-brain/
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