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By Riya Upadhyaya
Society has warned kids from a young age not to do drugs. Whether it’s through Tri-Valley’s DARE programs, which educate youth about alcohol and drugs, or “Just say no” campaigns, we’ve ingrained the same message in our nation’s youth countless times: don’t do drugs or you’ll get addicted.
Similarly, many school systems cover the same few behavioral symptoms of substance abuse over and over again– such as mood swings, reduced motivation, and secretive tendencies. But what about the other effects of drug abuse that are less discussed but just as – if not more – threatening to teen opioid users?
There are several more underrecognized side effects of opioid use. These symptoms may not be as regularly mentioned, but nevertheless pose a serious risk to the thousands of reported teen opioid users across California.
1. Long-term or high-dose opioid use can lead to increased pain sensitivity.
Opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) is a paradoxical symptom of long-term opioid use where users become more sensitized to pain from various stimuli. Despite being a relatively rare phenomenon, affecting under 1% of opioid users every year, this symptom is particularly dangerous as it encourages increased opioid use to numb pain. Users, whether or not they experience this symptom, may be completely unbeknownst to the possibility that this so-called “painkiller” can actually make their problem worse.
2. Opioids can be a gateway-like drug, bridging into even more dangerous substance use.
Gateway drugs are substances that are most available to first-time users and are thought to be indicative of harder drug use later in life. Traditionally, we think of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana as fitting this category, considering they are the three most abused substances on school campuses nationwide. Opioids, however, while generally considered later-stage drug use, can have their own recorded “gateway” effect, leading to even harder drugs in the future. Many researchers, for instance, have long battled with the fact that prescription opioids serve as a gateway into illicit opioids, which can be contaminated by harder substances like heroin and fentanyl.
3. Sex hormones can be suppressed, leading to side effects from drops in testosterone or estrogen.
Even when taken at prescribed levels – not just when misused – opioids interfere with the body’s natural hormone control system. They can reduce sex hormone production, a condition known as opioid-induced hypergonadism. This can lead to lower libido, fatigue, mood changes, and even infertility. Studies suggest that this condition affects as high as 86% of regular opioid users, although general public awareness about it is thought to be much lower. What might start out as “experimentation” for some can potentially have devastating generational consequences. If anti-opioid campaigns shifted to highlight this widespread impact over the traditional combat-addiction standpoint, more users might think twice about trying opioids.
4. Opioids can induce chronic constipation that worsens with higher and continued dosage.
Studies have found that opioids react with not only the brain but the gut as well. Opioid-induced chronic constipation is thought to affect anywhere from 45-90% of opioid abusers. Unlike other side effects, increased tolerance won’t reduce constipation, and gastrointestinal problems will increase with further use.
5. Users may experience an altered sense of time with continuous opioid use.
Arguably, one of the most dangerous symptoms of opioid use is the way it alters your perception of time. This works both ways – while some might experience hours as minutes, others may experience minutes as hours. In the latter case, this side effect can increase the chance of addiction by making the time passed between doses feel longer than it is, potentially increasing dosage frequency. In other words, people might think it’s “been a while” when it hasn’t.
The dangers of opioid use extend far beyond the commonly recognized effects. Many lesser-known symptoms can still have severe physical and mental consequences, especially for teenagers. As opioid use continues to impact thousands of young people across California, greater awareness, education, and prevention efforts are essential to protecting teen health and reducing the long-term risks associated with these drugs.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
