What Are Some Common Hydromorphone Drug Addiction Symptoms?

While some drug addicts are good at hiding the signs, at least for some time, many exhibit other behaviours that point to their addiction, if someone is willing to notice. People with hydromorphone drug addictions display the same symptoms as people addicted to most other drugs. Many of these symptoms are physical, while many are behavioural. Some might appear sooner than others, but when considered as parts of the whole puzzle, are obvious signs that something is wrong in a person’s life. This is a list of some of the more common symptoms:

• stomach pain
• nausea and vomiting
• difficult and infrequent urination
• seizures
• difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
• visible signs of injection, known as track marks, on arms and legs
• stroke, heart attack and coma
• chest pain
• dizziness and light headedness
• unusual tiredness and lethargy
• mood swings and irritability
• respiratory infection
• general health deterioriation
• signs of physical abuse

• high risk behaviour such as stealing money and drugs
• lying
• keeping secrets
• forging prescriptions
• borrowing money, often never repaying it
• covering track marks with long sleeves and pants
• using unclean needles
• hiding things, such as the drugs, from loved ones
• isolation from loved ones
• going missing for days at a time
• financial problems
• pawning valuable objects, often not their own
• switching doctors, asking for new prescriptions
• visiting the ER with vague complaints, in search of a prescriptions
• apathy towards daily activities once enjoyed
• withdrawal
• paranoia
• depression

• broken relationships such as divorce
• financial troubles
• homelessness
• entering into unhealthy relationships with other people with addiction issues
• guilt and shame
• defensiveness
• contracting diseases such as HIV/AIDS through dirty needles
• arrests and incarcerations; legal trouble
• domestic abuse
• serious health concerns such as stroke, heart disease, coma, seizures and even death

The life of addiction can take a serious toll on not only the addicts themselves, but the people around them. While they alone will suffer the physical side effects of drug addiction, their loved ones often suffer the consequences of their bad decisions and risky behaviour. Substance addiction can lead to desperate measures, when the individual is seeking means to obtain their next fix. This often means spending all of their money, borrowing money from loved ones or simply stealing it, and even selling off their belongings. Their scattered behaviour leads to fights within the home, and often there is abuse, domestic disturbance, and violence. Many people eventually end up leaving home, and may resort to living in high risk places such as motels, or even in their cars, or on the streets, depending on their financial situations.

Addiction tears families apart. The earlier the signs can be spotted, the better. While none of these symptoms signifies addiction on its own, when seen in the total picture of that person’s life, they can tell a story that only leads to destruction if the person doesn’t receive the right help in time.