Does Opioid Overdose Cause Bradycardia? Risks of Slow Heart Rate & Recovery Tips

Opioids are the major painkiller medications effective for chronic pain management. Taking excessive amounts of Opioids causes bradycardia, a dangerous slow heart rate issue. Nearly 16 million people are affected by opioid use disorder all over the world and over 1,20,000 deaths are claimed annually due to its overuse. Everyone needs to know how bradycardia is caused and how serious the effects can be in the future. This article, Does Opioid overdose cause bradycardia, breaks down every query in simple terms to help you understand the link between Opioid overdose and breathing, signs and symptoms, impacts on heart health and Opioid addiction treatment guidelines.

Understand Opioids: How They Work in the Body?

Opioids are central nervous system depressants helpful for managing moderate to severe pain. These drugs are available both in prescription and illegal forms, which can be very dangerous if misused. The impact of Opioids on the brain and heart is necessary to know before using. When Opioids come in contact with the proteins called opioid receptors, it blocks the pain signals coming from the spinal cord, the gut and other parts of the body.

Simultaneously, it blocks the pain messages reaching the brain and changes the brain’s perception to provide long-term relief. Narcotic drugs are highly addictive and carry rare health risks. Depending on the health condition, the doctors advise the narcotic drugs in multiple forms, including tablets or capsules, syrups and injections.

How Opioids Overdose Cause Bradycardia?

Opioid overdose is responsible for causing bradycardia, which refers to a bit slower heartbeat as compared to normal breathing, approximately 60 beats per minute. Along with that, opioid respiratory depression, heart disorders and hypotension are caused as well. Opioid toxicity symptoms caused by an overdose affect the opioid receptors in the CNS, which trigger vagal nerves that directly suppress the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

Which in result causes decrease of Oxygen in the blood, hypoxia and CNS depression that leads to bradycardia. It can arise due to several reasons, including infectious, environmental, genetic, autoimmune and lifestyle factors. Consult with the doctors for addiction treatment immediately if you experience any signs of bradycardia or addiction.

Opioid Induced Bradycardia Symptoms

Opioids and heart rate are indirectly linked to each other. When an individual consumes Opioid medications more than prescribed, it causes bradycardia, a dangerous cardiovascular issue that reduces the heartbeat to less than 60 per minute. It later on leads to severe hypotension and cardiac arrest. Recognizing the Opioid poisoning signs earlier can save so many lives related to cardiovascular complications. In some cases, the rapid use causes addiction. To get recovered safely, join rehab programs with the doctor’s suggestion. The following are some of the key symptoms of bradycardia.

• Behaviour change
• Loss of interest in activities
• Scratching or picking skin
• Unusual sleepiness
• Droopy eyes
• Lack of Motivation
• Lack of concentration
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• lightheadedness.
• Heart palpitations
• Dizziness
• Lack of energy

Impact of Bradycardia on Your Heart’s Health

Bradycardia is a popular medical term that refers to people having a heart rate of less than or equal to 60 BPM. Mainly, it happens due to excessive use of painkillers. Bradycardia causes several issues related to the heart and is also associated with damage to the heart tissues because of existing heart diseases. Smoking, Opioid abuse and hypertension are also responsible for causing a slow heart rate. Bradycardia impacts heart health in many ways.

• The slow heart rate weakens the heart muscles, which can result in heart failure.
• If the heart rate decreases to 30 to 40 BPM, the brain and other organs do not receive enough oxygen to function properly.
• The poor circulation of blood may lead to blood pooling and cause the risk of heart stroke or blood clot.
• The inability to increase heart rate can cause fatigue and shortness of breath with mild exertion.
• The slow heart rate cannot provide sufficient blood to the heart, resulting in severe dizziness and headache.

How to Treat Bradycardia Caused by Opioids?

The Opioid overdose complications are severe for the brain and the heart. Even though it is difficult to say, how long Opioids stay in the body after treatment. Bradycardia is a common symptom people experience after taking narcotic medication for a certain period of time due to any health issues. The doctors prescribe the treatment only after a proper diagnosis of Opioid induced bradycardia, a disease of slow heart rate. The purpose behind the bradycardia treatment is to increase the heart rate and provide a proper breathing rate. Understand the exact conditions under which the treatment is needed.

• For people suffering from sinus node dysfunction, doctors implant a permanent pacemaker to stabilize the heart impulses to maintain the heart rate.
• Patients with A-V node disorders can experience cardiac arrhythmias. It is the passage through which the heartbeat signals pass. Sometimes the node is blocked to varying degrees. In a minor block case, there is no need for treatment. But in a critical situation of blockage, a special dual-chamber pacemaker with an atrial electrode is placed for treatment.
• For Lyme disorder, the bradycardia is treated with antibiotics to clear the infection.
• To treat hypothyroidism, the experts simply replace the thyroid hormone doses.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

Opioids are the ultimate option for individuals going through severe pain. These medications work on the brain’s nervous system to manage any chronic pain disorders. Using Opioids only with a doctor’s prescription is safe but their overdoses cause a dangerous heart issue called bradycardia, a disorder related to slow heart rate. It is important to know how bradycardia is caused and what the possible impacts are on heart health for a healthy lifestyle while using Opioids. Go through the entire article to understand the symptoms, side effects, risks and treatment process to resolve bradycardia effectively.