Can Morphine Cause Anxiety?
When it comes to pain relief, morphine is one of the most effective medicines available. Derived from the opium poppy in the early 1900s, it was used frequently during the Civil War. And considering how effective morphine is with treating moderate to severe pain, it’s probably not surprising that it’s not only highly addictive but can quickly become habit-forming.
And since Morphine falls into the category of a narcotic, it can quickly lead to tolerance, as well as physical and psychological dependence. But something that may have not been considered is that morphine use can also cause anxiety and other psychological disorders.
What’s the Link Between Morphine and Anxiety?
Like many narcotics, there are two distinct sides to morphine. In the beginning, morphine, which directly impacts one’s central nervous system, can decrease anxiety and produce feelings of euphoria. But as time wears on and familiarity sets in, using morphine can actually cause anxiety, a potential sign of morphine addiction.
In addition to anxiety, morphine use can also lead to severe withdrawal symptoms. If someone suddenly stops taking morphine, things turn ugly in a hurry. Not only are there a myriad of physical and psychological symptoms including depression, mood swings and paranoia, but they can be potentially fatal.
Psychological withdrawal symptoms can also persist long after physical withdrawal symptoms have ended. In fact, the long-term psychological effects of morphine use can last months, years or even a lifetime.
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The Need For Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Since morphine addiction can cause anxiety disorders, both morphine addiction and anxiety must be treated as co-occurring disorders for successful recovery. This can be accomplished with dual diagnosis treatment.
Dual diagnosis treatment can offer a user the following benefits:
- Identifying and treating co-occurring mental health issues, including anxiety
- Addressing psychological withdrawal symptoms in addition to providing a program for safely tapering morphine use
- Counseling, therapy and relaxation techniques, such as meditation and yoga, to help combat anxiety
- Tools to fight psychological dependency
- Aftercare to deal with anxiety after successful recovery since morphine users are more susceptible to anxiety and other mood disorders even after recovery
Morphine users have one of the highest relapse rates among drug users, and anxiety can make the risk of relapse even worse. Therefore, it is essential to address morphine addiction and anxiety simultaneously when treating morphine addiction.
Need Help Finding Treatment for Morphine Addiction and Anxiety?
If you or someone you love is suffering from a morphine addiction, you are not alone. Please call our toll-free number. We are available 24 hours a day to offer more information about morphine abuse, anxiety, morphine addiction and dual diagnosis treatment options. Don’t let addiction control your life. Call us today at 678-251-3189.
By Christa Banister, Contributing Writer