marle

My daughter is addicted to opiates (oxycontin, vicodin and heroin). I know this may sound stupid but I have always pictured an opiate addict as being thin, but the last time I saw my daughter in March, she had gained at least 30 pounds in a short period of time. She had always been a fairly normal weight, not fat, not thin. Now she could probably be considered obese. And since I have not seen her in 3 months, I am sure it is worse. Have any of you experienced a large weight gain from opiates. She told me that opiates make food taste better. Thanks for your replies. Marle

Latte

I'm a pill addict. Vicodin and or Percoset. I found that food tasted better and also it was easier to overeat because that full sensation was covered by the numbness from the opiate. I have a heroin addict in my group who gained weight when she entered treatment. I have lost 20lbs, but I also am more active now.

It's different for different people.

My thoughts are with your family.

windysan

there have been fat junkies.

i avoided eating and became a skeleton for a couple of years.

caileesnana

My daughter has gained about 25 pounds. I thought it was because she just was lazy doing drugs. I'm curious too.

kj0975

I never ate cause I thought it would ruin my pill buzz. When I was coming down though I would pig out on junk food. Never gained any weight though and didnt eat alot always wanted the empty stomach so my pills would be better. Plus they gave me energy. Depends on the person I guess

mendingheart

My xabf had the puffy face, and yes he gained weight. Ate junk things too...as soon as he went off and detoxed, he dropped quite a bit . He also had a yellowing of his skin. He just looked bad altogether.

marle

Puffy face and that sallow look. Yup fits my AD. Also noticed the dark circles under the eyes. Marle

Sugah

I've been what they call a "garbage head" -- meaning my DOC changed many times over the years, and I usually wouldn't turn down anything that was handy. But during the last two years of my active addiction, I stuck mainly to opiates. At first, I gained weight...about thirty-five pounds. Then, in the last four or five months, I just stopped eating. I lived, literally, on a cup of broth and a few -- three or four -- pringles potato chips a day. I drank Mt. Dew, or I'd probably have been in worse shape. Like kj0975, I didn't want to screw up my buzz, which was harder and harder to find, and I ended up losing it all and then some.

Peace & Love,
Sugah

rat

I've lost 50lbs since I've started using.

kj0975

I also wanted to add for some reasons opiates make u crave sugar bad. One of my ex friends who did heroin would come over and just eat every sweat in the house. While he was in jail he would fight with people for candy.

woops

Taking opiates gave me "the munchies" - always ate more when abusing the pills.
Put on about 12 kilos (26 lbs) in the space of a year - glad to say I got rid of the weight now. (often during heavy use I was sick - physically sick - would vomit - and then seek sugary carbos - crazy?)
But I definitely experienced a sort of sugar addiction - and would crave carbohydrates and especially those foods with lots of sugar. This all became much worse following cessation.............. so that when I quit opiates my sugar cravings increased quite dramatically and I was very aware that I was eating way too much and eating quite the wrong sorts of foods.
Glad to say that I was lucky enough to recognize what was happening - and got sensible. Exercise helped tremendously (play golf and walk in the hills) - so as I got fitter and well, I started to eat loads of really fresh fruits and vegetables.............. lots of fresh fish lightly grilled with herbs and lemon, snacked on fruit and nuts.............. lots of yoghurt instead of cakes/biscuits..........and of course - no alcohol. Just love my smoothies. Put a ton of ice into my liquidiser - add lots of fruit of every variety depending on the season........... and hey presto! Voila!
Am doing a half marathon in July - and so looking forward to doing it. Just the fact of being able to run it..................... never fails to give me such a feeling of satisfaction - and I dont care if I come last!!
woops

poetrygirl

Opiates made me crave food like nobody's business. Don't get me wrong, that initial euphoria of being 'off your head' is better on an empty stomach, in my opinion, but after it fades - which it does more quickly depending on the number of years you are using - the need for food consumes the whole body. Not only that, I wasn't craving Caesar salads or anything, but SUGAR AND FAT AND MORE SUGAR. Consequently , the more drug you take the less the effect the more you eat the more drug you take, etc. etc. Also, my preferred opiate of choice contained a massive spoon of salt per dosage. The salt combined with the dodgy immune system is what bloats the body, particularly the face, abdomen and , bizarrely, arms.
i am not joking, I have been clean for 8 days and several people at work yesterday told me I looked thinner in the face and waist/stomach. (we are Scottish women, so we tell the truth) !
Hope this helps
Poetry

marle

Poetrygirl, Thanks. My daughter does have more of a bloated look to her than an actual fat look. It is just amazing what she will go through for her drugs. She was actually bulimic for several years before her drug use because she always had to be perfect. There are no overweight people on either side of her family tree so I know that the weight gain is a symptom of her illness. Marle

marle

The ultimate irony is that her need to be perfect led her to bulimia which led her to opiates because the bulimia upset the balance of chemicals in her brain. The opiates gave her energy and the feel good feeling that bulimia had robbed her of. Now the opiates are making her gain weight which is what she used the bulimia to avoid in the first place. What a vicious cycle. Marle

Jane63

I too, never ate much during the actual "high" for fear of ruining the buzz...but afterwards I always craved stuff like crackers and cheese, toast, anything carby!

The bloating, or possible swelling is actually a concern because some people will retain water during high opiate use...especially in their faces and lower extremities {ankles, feet}. Not a good sign and was definitely part of my decission to quit asap!

Jane

TRUTHSAYER

I am sober as of today, but this is one of several times I have come off of Vicodin. I'm usually fine for the 1st week, then I start getting the creepy-crawleys & I freak out if I don't have them. But, I have a small child who deserves a sober Mom, so I am determined to quit for good. I was sober while I raised my 2 older kids ages 22 & 24. Wish me luck.

This time I came off Vicodin slowly & so far I feel good. I have never excessively drank, or used drugs before. BUT, I started dating a "Pillhead" 7 years ago, & I tried Vicodin & I LOVED it. The funny thing is, I was always naturally thin, & have stayed that way through 3 kids & up to age 40. I never even thought about my weight before. EVER. But, over the last 6 years of popping Vicodin, for a variety of reasons, some made-up some real, I became addicted & packed on 40 lbs seemingly out of nowhere. I've always craved sugar, so I did'nt really notice a difference there, although it's a good point, I DID however start to crave fats as well. I'll let you know if the weight comes off quickly once the drugs are out of my system.

I take Evening Primrose Oil to help w/sleeping & anxiety during this process, so that may help your daughter. Also counseling & NA meetings are essential & will really assist her in healing her addiction. I'll include her in my prayers, as I go through this process too.

Thanks for listening.
Prayers to your daughter, she'll be okay.

ksos

In 2006, two years after I started methodone, I weighed 330 pounds.

Last week, I weighed in at 190 pounds. I avoid eating, as windysan expressed, and the ironic thing is, everyone says that I "look so good." Maybe to the untrained eye, I suppose, but someone took a photo of me the other day and I look like hell. I wonder if it is the Pancreatitis, though?

I constantly crave chocolate, though, and I sometimes buy 10 Reese's Buttercups at a time, gulping them down--not even tasting them. Of course, I get serious abdominal pains due to the constipation which are a side effect of the methodone, and I take even more of the medication to quell the pain...

It has been two weeks since I stopped eating chocolate and, surprise, surprise! My "pain" has decreased dramatically!

TiredMama

^^^ I agree 100% here. I NEVER ate because it would kill the high. I lost weight on opiates.

ccgirl2

I'm with the people who didn't want to kill the buzz. I lost weight.

Ksos. Congratulations.

kari08

I gained about 30 pounds in the last 8 months, I too have felt like I have retained tons of fluid weight. rounding face.. fluid around the hands and ankles. I had been chalking it up to stress.. interesting to see others with similar experience. And the sugar and salt cravings are craaaazy. I was grazing all day long. I have recently been substituting the junk for veges and nuts. Still like the chocolate occasionally... ok a little more than occasionally.. haha.. but not near as much as before. and I hate water.. so still really struggling with that.
Kari