Why Opiates Cause Constipation

In general, before looking at why opiates cause constipation, it can be helpful to understand what’s meant by this term. Constipation is what happens when someone has infrequent bowel movements, or they are hard to pass.

Some of the complications that can arise from constipation include hemorrhoids, anal fissure, and fecal impaction.

Normal bowel movements for adults usually range from three per day to three per week.

Constipation isn’t just a side effect of opiates, but several other types of medicines that are used to treat pain and illnesses, but undoubtedly opiate-induced constipation is one of the biggest culprits for a lot of people.

Some of the signs of constipation from opioids include stools that are hard and dry, a lack of urges to go to the bathroom and the need to push hard when you go.

Constipation, whether it’s from opiates or not, can be uncomfortable and it can lead to serious complications.

When assessing why opiates cause constipation, one of the biggest factors to consider is the fact that how bad it is can depend on how much of the drug a person is taking. For example, if you’re not taking a large dose of opioids your constipation may be minimal, but if you’re a chronic or long-term abuser of opioids, you may have very serious problems.

Also relevant to the discussion of why opiates cause constipation is the fact that unlike many of the other side effects of these drugs such as nausea, constipation doesn’t go away over time with continued use of the medicine or drug. One of the reasons this is believed to be the case is because your gastrointestinal system doesn’t seem to be able to get used to the presence of opioids the way other parts of the body does.

As a result, the longer you take the drugs, the more likely you are to become constipated from opioids.

So what are the specific reasons why opiates cause constipation?

First, there are muscles that surround your intestines, and these muscles are responsible for pushing stools through your body. This movement has a name: peristalsis. When you take opioids, the squeezing movements of these muscles slows or even stops because of how messages are sent to the nerves in your intestines and your spine. The messages tend to get confused to the extent both ends of the stools are being squeezed, and it becomes trapped.

When you take opioids, it can also paralyze the stomach partially, which is a condition called gastroparesis. When this happens, food lingers in the digestive track for longer.

Often the GI tract is called the second brain because of the nervous network it includes, and the neurons found here can be heavily impacted by the use of opioids.

Also, when the action of your gut slows as a result of opiates, it makes it easier for intestines to absorb too much water, contributing to hard, dry stools.

What’s different about why opiates cause constipation, and any other kind of constipation is the fact that it has to do with the opioid receptors throughout your body, as well as the functionality of your brain, so taking fiber or a supplement isn’t going to remedy the problem. For someone who is wondering why opiates cause constipation and possibly experiencing these issues themselves, the only thing to do is speak with their doctor about possible options.