Is there a link between abusing opioids and heart disease? Research suggests opioids can increase the risk of developing heart disease. Prescription opioid medications have a medical purpose and can help people in pain. Unfortunately, opioids are highly addictive and put extra stress on your cardiovascular system.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with heart disease and opioid abuse, call 833.551.2304 to speak with someone from the caring and compassionate team at Gulf Breeze Recovery about our opioid treatment program for addiction.
About Opioid Abuse and Addiction
Opioids, including prescription pain relievers and street drugs like heroin, are highly addictive substances that can be abused. They bind to receptors in the brain and interact with them to produce a feeling of euphoria or pleasure. Prescription opioids like oxycodone and hydrocodone can help reduce pain, but they can also be abused like illegal opioids—such as heroin—and lead to addiction.
Opioid abuse is a growing problem in the United States, with more than two million people struggling with opioid addiction.
What Are the Dangers of Opioid Abuse?
Opioid abuse can cause severe physical and mental health problems, including heart disease. People who abuse opioids are at a higher risk for developing the following:
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Irregular heartbeat
- Congestive heart failure
- Addiction
It’s essential to seek help for opioids and heart disease as soon as possible, as the risk of an overdose increases with prolonged opioid abuse.
How Does an Opioid Addiction Develop?
Research by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows that around 80% of people struggling with heroin addiction developed unwanted behaviors by misusing prescription opioid medications.
When opioids are abused, the brain can become dependent on them. This means that opioids must be taken to feel “normal” or experience pleasure. This can lead to physical and psychological dependence, which leads to addiction.
The Increasing Risk of Heart Disease and the Opioid Epidemic in the United States
The fact that the United States is amid an opioid epidemic is old news. Statistics are staggering when we look at the number of people addicted to opioids and the rising number of opioid deaths yearly.
The effects, however, of opioid abuse continue to emerge in unexpected ways. Research has identified another consequence of opioid abuse, a potentially deadly heart infection called infective endocarditis. Opioid abuse is the primary risk factor for this heart disease. Infective endocarditis is a bacterial infection that most often affects young white males who are poor and who share needles. Many of them also abuse alcohol and may have HIV and hepatitis C.
With infective endocarditis, the bacteria enter the bloodstream and attack the heart’s lining or valves, leading to a leaky heart valve, abscesses around the heart valve, stroke, or heart failure. Of the 30,000 cases of infective endocarditis diagnosed in the United States yearly, 6,000 people die.
How to Respond to Problems with Opioids and Heart Disease
To address the ongoing opioid crisis, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has identified its top five priorities, which are:
- Improving access to treatment and recovery services
- Promoting the use of overdose-reversing drugs
- Strengthening our understanding of the epidemic through better public health surveillance
- Providing support for cutting-edge research on pain and addiction
- Advancing better practices for pain management
Quality substance abuse treatment is required to help people struggling with addiction find their way to long-term recovery. Gulf Breeze Recovery offers a holistic, non-12-step substance abuse treatment program that focuses on helping our guests achieve sobriety and a healthy, happy lifestyle.
Find Opioid Addiction Treatment in Florida at Gulf Breeze Recovery
If you or someone you care about has an ongoing history of abusing opioids and heart disease, we offer hope and can help. Contact Gulf Breeze Recovery today at 833.551.2304 to speak with someone from our caring and compassionate team about our opioid addiction treatment program that has helped many people rediscover their dreams and embrace life. We help people not just to survive but to thrive.
