Painkiller Abuse and Insomnia

These painkillers are what doctors call opiates.

Opiates derive from the poppy plant which contains opium, the sticky, tarry substance produced within the poppy plant's seed pod.

Most people are familiar with the scene in The Wizard of Oz that shows the Wicked Witch of the West putting Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Lion, and even little Toto to sleep in a field of poppies; and they are able to sleep because of the opium in the plants.

The opiates were originally called "narcotics" a word derived from the Greek word narcotikos, meaning "benumbing" or "causing sleep", but even though these painkillers are made with a substance that puts you to sleep, abusing them leads to many dangerous side-effects, one of which is insomnia.

Painkiller abuse leads to psychological dependence and physical damage. Here are the problems painkiller addiction can cause:

Lung problems,: Since there is such a numbing sensation and can go into a sleep like state, the opiates cause a decrease in breathing rate and depth. In fact, breathing becomes dangerously impaired at higher doses.

Gastrointestinal Problems: These painkillers may cause constipation. Many heavy users have trouble with restroom use for days or sometimes even a week or more.

Sexual Dysfunction: Users experience a decreased sexual desire and a decreased ability to perform sexually. Painkiller abuse may even cause impotence in men.

Malnutrition: Since users spend so much time and energy wanting more of the drug, they spend less time tending to the body's nourishment needs.

Possible Overdose: With opiates, the danger of overdose looms large. The problem arises because these drugs depress your body's respiration. Sometimes, users fall into comas and never wake up.

Abusing painkillers may also cause users to hallucinate, suffer from severe confusion, and may make people dizzy and lightheaded.

However, if the opiates are used for longer than the doctor prescribes, it may lead people to experience withdrawal symptoms when the person stops using it.

Withdrawal symptoms can come in many forms: restless leg syndrome, muscle or bone pain, vomiting; but one of the most troublesome (and almost contradictory to the drug itself) is Insomnia.

Almost everyone experiences occasional or short-term insomnia (that lasts less than three weeks), which is typically related to environmental factors such as too much noise or light, being too hot or cold, or maybe even sleeping in an uncomfortable bed.

But abusing painkillers brings upon the user chronic insomnia, which lasts for more than three weeks.

Chronic insomnia causes problems in daytime functioning.

People who suffer from insomnia cannot concentrate, suffer memory problems, have difficulty coping with minor stressors, and have a decreased ability to enjoy family and certain social relationships.

They often experience high anxiety, tension, anger, or even hostility because they cannot sleep.

People with ongoing (chronic) insomnia may become depressed and are more likely to have fatigue-related motor vehicle accidents than those without sleep problems, which not only puts the painkiller-user's lives at risk, but endangers the lives of others.

Learn how to get a full nights sleep here!