Opioid Abuse Symptoms & Diagnosis

Symptoms

The symptoms below are associated with opioid abuse. If you experience any one of them, see your physician.

• Tolerance—need to sequentially increase dosage to have the same drug effect
• Withdrawal (see below)—adverse symptoms occur when the drug is not taken
• Increasing amounts of time spent drug-seeking
• Interference of drug or drug-seeking behavior with social, occupational, or school functioning
• Continued use of drugs despite obvious social, legal, occupational, or interpersonal problems stemming from drug use
• Desire or efforts made to decrease or stop drug use

Opioid withdrawal symptoms:

• Aching
• Fever
• Sweating
• Chills
• Craving
• Diarrhea , nausea, vomiting
• Sleeplessness
• Pain, muscle aches
• Goose pimples
• Uncontrollable shivering, tremors
• Restlessness
• Tearing eyes, runny nose
• Yawning

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam. He will ask you specific questions about your opioid use, such as how long you have been using opioids and how often you use them. Urine drug screens or serum drug tests may be performed to verify the presence of opioid drugs in your system.