Pain Management and Opioids Guide for Consumers
Understand Pain
What Kind of Pain Do You Have?
Talk with Your Doctor about Pain
Self-Care for Pain Management
Understand Opioids
A Pain Medication
Side Effects and Risks
How to Store and Dispose
Opioids side effects
The most common side effects of opioids are drowsiness and impaired judgment. When taking a narcotic pain medication, do not drink alcohol, drive, or operate heavy machinery.
Opioids can slow your breathing, and lower your heart rate and blood pressure, so talk to your doctor and make sure these medications are safe for you, especially if you’re taking other medications.
Dangerous reactions can occur if you take too much, take them too often, or mix them with alcohol, illegal drugs, and some medications. These reactions could be fatal. Some people may also experience side effects like:
- Sleepiness
- Confusion
- Slow-thinking
- Dizzy or lightheaded
- Constipation
- Itching
- Sweating
- Nausea or vomiting
- Decreased sex drive
The Agony of Opioid withdrawal—and What Doctors Should Tell Patients About It. In this TED talk, Travis Rieder tells his story of opioid dependency and the agonizing attempts at tapering without medical assistance or guidance. (14-minute video)
Opioids. UPMC website with more information and possible side effects of opioids.
Risks of opioids
Risks of opioid therapy include:
- Trouble breathing
- Worsening of pain
- Impaired driving
- Tolerance (which means needing a higher dose to get the same relief)
- Dependency (which means your body needs the opioids to function)
- Withdrawal
- Addiction
When people take opioids with other drugs, this can cause even more problems. It is important to talk with your doctor about everything you take.
Opioid Side Effects. Waismann Method provides information about serious risks of prolonged opioid use.
Caution when taking an opioid
After taking opioid pain drugs for a while, you might find that you need more and more of the drug to feel the same pain relief. This is called tolerance. It’s not the same as addiction, which involves the uncontrollable use of a drug.
Opioids are a strong medicine that can be addictive. This means a person keeps using opioids even though it causes negative outcomes in their personal lives or workplace. Opioids can make your brain and body believe the drug is necessary for survival. Both legal and illegal opioids carry a risk of overdose if a person takes too much of the drug or if opioids are combined with other drugs.
Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict. An FBI documentary aimed at educating students and young adults about the dangers of addiction. (47-minute video)
One Nation, Overdosed: Documentary On The Deadliest Drug Crisis In American History. MSNBC’s Jacob Soboroff examines the cause of the deadliest drug crisis in American history. (45-minutes video)
If you are worried about the amount of opioid pain medication you are taking:
- Talk with your doctor
- Talk with your pharmacist. Ask the pharmacist about medication therapy management (MTM). MTM is when a pharmacist reviews all your medications.
- Talk with your doctor about a pain clinic. A pain clinic specializes in helping you manage your pain.
- Call the customer service number on the back of your health insurance member identification (ID) card. Ask to speak to someone about MTM.