An analgesic opiate, propoxyphene has been used medically to alleviate pain, suppress coughing and anesthetize patients before minor procedures. Considered a weaker form of opioid, propoxyphene serves to impede pain signals as they are transmitted from the brain to the rest of the body.
Additionally, propoxyphene acts upon chemical messengers in the brain – specifically dopamine and serotonin – leading many users to experience calming sensations and euphoric states of being while under the influence of the drug.
However, when usage endures beyond the recommended duration, or when dosages increase to higher levels, patients taking propoxyphene can end up struggling with addiction to the prescription opiate. When propoxyphene addiction takes place, behavioral, psychological and physical symptoms can provide signs that substance abuse has reached levels that necessitate professional drug addiction treatment.
Behavioral Symptoms of Propoxyphene Addiction
Behavioral signs of propoxyphene addiction may include drug-seeking behavior, through illegal acquisition, “doctor shopping” practices, street purchases or foreign internet sales due to the drug’s cessation of availability in the United States.
Other behavioral signs of propoxyphene addiction may include secretive stashing away of medications, pill counting, planning propoxyphene use, debt incurrence to finance drug use and isolation or changes in social circles to facilitate use of the drug. As in many cases of drug use, responsibilities may also become lapsed during the course of addiction, causing users to neglect family, parental, social, financial or work obligations.
Physical Symptoms of Propoxyphene Addiction
Physical symptoms of propoxyphene addiction tend to mirror those that rise during codeine dependency. Users may experience constipation and high fevers, due to severe dehydration. Liver problems may arise on account of overly high levels of acetaminophen in the system. Nausea and vomiting may also arise over the course of propoxyphene addiction. Pupils may appear to be constricted, and individuals battling propoxyphene addiction may exhibit telltale lethargy or exhaustion.
Insomnia can also set in during the withdrawal period of propoxyphene addiction, along with severe headaches, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, tremors and muscular or bone pains that resonate deeply. Jaundice, skin irregularities and rashes, and kidney problems have also been associated with prolonged propoxyphene addiction.
Psychological Symptoms of Propoxyphene Addiction
Psychological states of propoxyphene users may also become altered during the course of addiction. Moods can shift rapidly and widely, panic attacks can onset and depression – even to the point of suicidal ideation – can occur. Some users experience hallucinations during the withdrawal phase of recovery, along with paranoid ideations, delusional thinking or mental confusion.