What Is Opioid Dependence?

0:00What is opioid dependence, and how do you know if you have it?

0:06I'm Dr. Rodriguez from Healing Sky.

0:08I'm also the medical director of the Delray Center for Healing, and today we're going

0:11to talk about exactly that.

0:14What it is, and how do you know if you have it?

0:17Opioid dependence.

0:19Opioid dependence is synonymous with opioid addiction.

0:24Addiction is when a person is using something, usually an addictive substance or an addictive

0:31behavior, engaging in an addictive behavior, and they do it excessively and it causes problems.

0:38In the face of problems and escalating consequences, they keep doing it.

0:44That is the essence of addiction.

0:46If you're doing that with opioids, that is the essence of opioid dependence or opioid

0:52addiction.

0:53Now you ask, why would somebody ever do that?

0:55If they're having consequences, why wouldn't they just stop?

0:59It's not logical.

1:00That's right, it's not logical.

1:01But there are reasons for it, why people cannot just stop.

1:06And that reason is opioid dependence.

1:08Because when somebody develops addiction, whether it be opioids or something else, there

1:12is something that changes in the brain that then leads to incredible urges and cravings

1:18to use that drug.

1:21Sometimes it involves also a withdrawal syndrome if they try to stop using that drug without

1:26a proper detox.

1:28And it feels so horrible that it drives them to go use it again, even though they're going

1:33to get in trouble for it and have escalating consequences for doing so.

1:37That is the nature of addiction.

1:39Now specifically with opioids, opioid dependence involves the use of opioids more than prescribed

1:46or intended.

1:47Or if it has no medical reason to use it at all, they're using it just recreationally.

1:53And their body starts to change and adapt to the use of the opioids, meaning the body

1:59now reacts differently to the opioids than it did in the beginning.

2:03So one of those things that will change is tolerance.

2:07In the beginning, a small amount of opioid will create a good amount of intoxication

2:10or pain relief.

2:12And as the person becomes tolerant, that starts to go away.

2:16They need more and more of the opioid to get the same effect.

2:21If you are having to use more and more of the opioid to get the same effect, that is

2:27a sign that you have developed tolerance and you may already have opioid dependence.

2:34Also the person who is using more and more and trying to get intoxicated, that behavior,

2:40which is not what opioids were intended for, is usually something that you see with somebody

2:46who has an opioid problem.

2:48So if you're using it to get high and you're not using it for medical reasons, probably

2:53you're going to end up with opioid dependence if you don't have it already.

2:57Because your body will neuroadapt, your brain will neuroadapt to this behavior, and then

3:03you're going to have problems.

3:05So what exactly is that neuroadaptation?

3:08The body fundamentally tries to survive.

3:11And the body on certain levels will view or interpret the presence of opioids in the

3:17body as some form of contamination in the food supply or some form of accidental poisoning.

3:24So the body does the best it can to survive, and it does this by many different mechanisms.

3:29And one of those is that it becomes tolerant to the drug so that less of that drug will

3:36not have an effect, and more of the drug will have a limited effect.

3:41It becomes tolerant.

3:43So it does what it can.

3:44Now when somebody is using drugs, they typically use it a lot, so they do it over and over

3:49again so that tolerance can really, really build up quite high.

3:54And eventually they're using dangerous amounts of opioids.

3:57Now when the person goes and tries to stop using opioids after they've been using it

4:02for a while, they go into what's called a withdrawal syndrome, an opioid withdrawal

4:08syndrome.

4:09And that is the telltale sign that you in fact have developed opioid dependence because

4:15you are now sick.

4:17Your body is now very sick from not taking it because you tried to stop and your body

4:21got used to it.

4:22Your body neuroadapted to the presence of opioids in the bloodstream.

4:29And when you take that away, it gets sick, and I mean very sick.

4:33And the typical opioid withdrawal syndrome is very clammy skin, goosebumps, you know,

4:40fevers, sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, everything hurts, you feel horrible, you're

4:47exhausted.

4:48If you're having that, from having stopped taking opioids, you're having opioid withdrawal,

4:53and that is a pretty big red flag that you have developed opioid dependence.

4:58Now if you have this, I don't recommend trying to handle this on your own.

5:02That can get reckless, that can get dangerous.

5:04I recommend seeking professional assistance with this.

5:07This is a treatable condition and proper help can get you out of this and hopefully get

5:12you into a safer place.

5:15So again, if you think you have those kinds of symptoms or this kind of situation, there's

5:20a fair chance that you have opioid dependence.

5:24Opioid dependence, the purely physiologic version, which is somebody who is taking pain

5:30pills for a legitimate medical reason, those individuals will become physically dependent

5:37on the opioids, but it's different than the person who has opioid addiction.

5:42The person with opioid addiction is not taking it for a legitimate medical reason.

5:47They're usually overtaking it and they have behavioral elements to it.

5:52So they get into more trouble with it.

5:54The person taking it for legitimate medical reasons may not be getting into any trouble

5:59with it, other than if they run out of medications, they will get sick.

6:05So that is the physical dependence part.

6:07But if you're abusing them, if you're using them to get high, and now you get sick when

6:11you're trying to come off, you have developed opioid dependence and you do need to get

6:15some help.

6:16If you would like to see me as a patient, you can find me at www.delraycenter.com.

6:21Please like, follow, and subscribe to my content here on Healing Sky.

6:25And also please look out for my podcast launching in the fall.

6:28Thank you.