A commonly abused prescription opiate, Darvon is prescribed and dispensed as an analgesic in order to alleviate severe pain. Like other opioid medications, Darvon achieves the blockage of pain signals by acting on the body’s opioid receptors.
However, due to the release of dopamine and serotonin characteristic of most prescription opiates, the drug often fosters addiction in users, evidenced by increasing dosages, drug-seeking behavior and preoccupation with use despite social, lifestyle and financial consequences.
Despite the drug’s ban by the FDA in the United States, many individuals using Darvon worldwide for medical and recreational purposes find themselves facing addiction.
Symptoms of Darvon Addiction
While Darvon triggers the release of chemicals such as dopamine, leading to positive emotional sensations for the user, many of the symptoms of long-term Darvon use are anything but pleasurable. Symptoms of Darvon addiction can include rapid mood swings, mental confusion and disorientation, restlessness accompanied by inability to fall asleep, severe depression and panic attacks, particularly when withdrawal sets in during the period between uses.
In severe cases, mental changes associated with Darvon addiction and withdrawal can even include hallucinatory experiences, blurring of vision, migraine headaches and psychosis.
Physically, Darvon can create a host of physical symptoms during both addiction and withdrawal from the drug. During use, individuals addicted to Darvon typically struggle with digestive problems, including constipation, abdominal pain and bloating, and severe cramping in the abdomen.
During Darvon addiction, dehydration can elevate users’ temperatures, while withdrawal can bring the onset of severe diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Opiate withdrawal symptoms also can occur as Darvon use ceases, leading to high blood pressure, deeply reaching pains in the muscles and bones, seizures and profuse perspiration.
For some, the signs of Darvon addiction and withdrawal hit close to home. If you recognize your own struggle with a Darvon addiction, opiate drug treatment programs can allow your body to safely detoxify while mental and emotional healing from addiction takes place.