Opioid misuse and abuse put many people on the road to addiction, which is filled with uncertainties. Using these powerful drugs at higher doses than prescribed can bring coma and death. Opioids can act as depressants and slow a person’s breathing and heart rate. The euphoric effects of opioids are addictive, but with each use, tolerance for the drugs grow, which makes people want to abuse them more. Overindulgence can be deadly.That said, not everyone who takes drugs knows they are using opioids. Fentanyl is showing up in more drug combinations involving heroin and the stimulant drug cocaine. Large doses of this drug aren’t needed for it to be deadly. According to the  U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, illegal fentanyl is 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine. All it takes is two milligrams, which is equivalent to a few grains of table salt, to produce a fatal result.Quitting the drug abruptly in an attempt to go cold turkey is also a dangerous thing to do. Anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and aching muscles can quickly lead to users to feel depressed, have severe cramps, and vomiting. The recommended course of action is to seek medically supervised detox at an approved facility to avoid debilitating opioid withdrawal symptoms.Many people who abuse opioids end up overdosing. For many, this will be the end of the road as death often follows these events. Not all overdoses are fatal, but they are serious and life-threatening. Even if overdose survivors pull through, they are still at risk of sustaining permanent injury from the experience.Signs of an opioid overdose include constricted pupils and respiratory distress or breathing problems. This is often followed by seizures, vomiting, and spasms that are harmful if left uncontrolled. Respiratory failure often deals the fatal blow. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, opioid overdoses account for more than 60 percent of all overdose-related deaths in the U.S.Narcan, generically known as naloxone, is often on hand to reverse many of these events. It has been invaluable as first responders, family members and friends have used it to immediately reverse the effects of opioid overdose. The medication is sold over the counter and can be administered through the nose or injected directly into the skin. The medication is not foolproof. Sometimes it takes multiple Narcan doses to revive someone. If it does, it does not alleviate the permanent results that come with prolonged opioid abuse.
Every day, 115 Americans die from an opioid overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Two million Americans have some form of opioid use disorder.
47,600 overdose deaths involving opioids in 2017
Roughly 80 percent of people who use heroin first misused prescription opioids.
$78 billion – This is how much opioid addiction is estimated to cost the United States every year. Costs include health care, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement.