Health - Can opiates stuff up your brain? Psychosis, dementia etc

[cybergenesis]

Hi I am just wondering if anybody has any information suggesting that using opiates over the long term can cause any severe mental problems such as psychosis, severe memory problems, dementia etc?

I know addiction can cause compulsive behavior and cravings etc, but can it destroy your mind? If it does cause damage to your brain, what would it be like say compared to significant alcoholism or any other drug?

[humdroid]

Just a guess, here, from the bloke who has just walked past, whilst waiting for someone more knowledgeable to come along...

It's not that opiates can mess up your brain as such, but when coming off them, the chemicals released in the brain, from the stress, which has built up, during the time of opiate use, could possibly bring on symptoms of mental illness.
This, the man guesses, is because the user may have been using opiates in an attempt to block out uncomfortable feelings.
These uncomfortable feelings don't go away as such, they just sink into the subconscious, that part of the psyche, whch is part of the person, but beyond their conscious awareness.
If too many feelings and emotions are relegated to this part of the psyche, they tend to turn into their polar opposites,
e-g Sadness avoided, can turn into acted out anger.
Anger avoided, can turn into clinical depression.

In some cases, the subconscious can spill over into the conscious, but in a chaotic way, a psychotic episode.

The above is just what that bloke had to say, but it does make sense, and can be applied to alchohol, or any drug, activity used to try and block unpleasant feelings, instead of feeling them fully and working through them, then growing from it all.

Reputation Comments on this post:

thanks for good post

[cybergenesis]

Ahh yes I would generally agree with what you have said... Wondering though if the drugs can cause long term, permanent changes in the brain, besides to the opiod receptors. I'm interested if its possible to permanently stuff up your brain, besides in relation to addiction. Although the initial information I have suggests is that their effects are fairly benign, but then I read people having hallucinations, hearing things, and I worry a bit.