Common:
- constipation, tiredness, dizziness, nausea, lightheadedness, feeling heavy or relaxed, mildly reduced coordination, mild staggering when walking, headache, dry mouth, anxiety (usually not severe), itching, euphoria, mild visual disturbances such as difficulty focusing and sweating (sometimes profuse). These side effects are not dangerous.
Less Common: (Less than 1 in 20 people will experience these)
- Loss of appetite, nervousness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, shortness of breath, difficulty urinating and hiccups. These side effects are not life threatening but if severe and persistent you should consider seeing a doctor.
Other side effects to the ones listed above may occasionally occur. Rarely a severe allergic reaction can occur. Symptoms include swelling of the face, tongue or throat and severe problems breathing. Significant rashes may also appear upon the body. In such an event an ambulance should be called immediately and if an antihistamine is available the person should take it (if possible).
Note: While some of the side effects in the list above may sound alarming, the severe ones are very rare when opiates are taken safety. It should be noted that occasionally people die even from taking asprin.
Symptoms of overdose:
- Shallow breathing, very slow pulse, cold clammy skin, excessive sedation, pauses in breathing, low blood pressure, pupil constriction, circulatory collapse, respiratory arrest, and death. A sign of a very severe overdose is blue lips or fingernails.
Obviously in the event of an overdose an ambulance should be called immediately and it should be stated exactly what has happened. An overdose is extremely unlikely if opiates are taken with proper consideration to safety. The risk of death from overdose is significantly reduced if the person is not alone when the overdose occurs. Overdoses occur most frequently in heroin and injecting opiate users. Many overdoses involve combining opiates with other drugs such as benzodiazepines, alcohol and other highly sedating drugs. While a severe overdose can result in very prompt death, many fatal overdoses occur over a couple of hours, allowing potential time for intervention. If the person is unconscious, they should be placed on their side to avoid potentially chocking on their own vomit (A cause of death in some cases of overdose).