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Opioids Opiates effect on immune system?

H

Hybris

Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 31, 2012
Messages
187
Location
Indiana
I notice when I take opiates regularly (vicodin, percocet), I seem to not ever get sick (cold, flu, etc.). Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this or if there is actually any correlation whatsoever. Could just be coincidence or some of the common symptoms masked by the pain relief.. but maybe opiates are the cure to the common cold ;)
 
Yes, you feel good whilst the stuff is in your system. But what happens when it has all left your system, and your body wants more ?

It seems to me that Opiates are effortlessly powerful enough to totally compensate for, overpower and overcome, and feel great whilst having something as mild as the common cold.

I'm still pretty new to this particular "game" (Opiates) and at first couldnt tell the difference between opiate withdrawl symptoms and symptoms of viruses like the common cold or Flu. I'm beginning to learn all about it though.....the hard way....through personal experience
 
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Yes i have indeed experienced this! There's even a thread pertaining to that exactly.

The debate is whether you're just too doped up to notice that you're ill or whether opiates seem to somehow prevent you from getting the flu.

In my experience, i visit the doctors sugery twice a month, & visit multiple pharmacys too. My theory: being exposed to so many different germs & virus's build up my immune system like that of a doctor (you ever hear about doctors immunity?)
 
It's really that you just don't feel the cold. Even on suboxone and methadone maintenance I never got the flue, or even a cold. But whenever I've quit, and after the withdrawals are over, I almost always get a cold.
 
Znegative said:
It's really that you just don't feel the cold. Even on suboxone and methadone maintenance I never got the flue, or even a cold. But whenever I've quit, and after the withdrawals are over, I almost always get a cold.
Click to expand...
Thats what I'm stating, on my chronic pain meds' I know I would feel some of the effects of a flu bug. Even before I was on daily meds' being off & on different pain meds' (to figure out what worked best) I never caught a bug, like preveous years.
 
Ok to clear things up...

Opiates inhibit adrenocorticotropic hormone. This will inhibit cortisol and other glucocorticoid excretion from adrenal cortex.

The effects of decreased glucocorticoids are lower blood pressure, increased production of leukocytes, and faster tissue repair.

I would call that an increase in immune system efficiency.

This cannot be easily quantified. Many junkies tend to live a poor and unhealthy lifestyle.

Tolerance to hormones is also a factor, not to mention the opiates themselves.
 
^ Very interesting. Do you have some links/sources to back that up & so we can read further on the subject? Would be most appreciated!
 
So it seems people living a normal lifestyle whom are taking opiates for pain management are in fact less likely to get common illnesses. Obviously if you stop taking them, withdrawals are either going to make any little ailment feel 10 times worse or seem like a sickness themselves. I understand the pain killing properties can mask some common symptoms but overall I think its quite interesting that aside from addiction (which obviously is not good), patients on pain management meds potentially are healthier.
 
I actually found that it depends on which opioid receptors are stimulated. It seems kappa agonists suppress ACTH and non-kappa agonists increase ACTH.

Ive also found several studies saying morphine reduces ACTH and morphine increases ACTH. The increase in cortisol/ACTH was in a rat though, and the decrease was in a human.
 
i wasnt using all the time and never got sick ....i was even around my father ,grandfather ,and my dads wife for three days and never got the flu wich they had

i even went so far as to drink after g/f with the flu ....
 
I would get the cold pretty frequently, but my 4 years of being on buprenorphine every day, I never got sick one time. Very strange...
 
Cutting and pasting from this thread.

Re: colds and flu on opiates, I used to think I never caught them when was I was on opiates myself, but I'm now given to understand that you're just as likely to catch them on opiates as you are off them, probably more so in fact, but because opiates suppress the immune system response, you don't manifest symptoms of cold and flu to the same degree, symptoms which are caused by the body's response to the infection trying to fight it off. On top of that you have the analgesic effects of opiates which would tend to make some symptoms less noticeable still further, and the above mentioned anti-tussive effects suppressing the cough reflex. In short, you still get colds, you just don't notice the symptoms as much.

On balance, the evidence suggests opiates suppress the immune system. It is illogical therefore I feel to imagine that they could somehow also prevent infection. I are spectre, I note your post, but wonder if the effect you describe is large enough to be truly significant? In any event if it is significant wouldn't that mean that you just tend to fight the infection off faster rather than become somehow immune to infection altogether because of it?
 
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"you tend to fight off the infection faster"...I think thats the gist of it. Just like when I was young & did get the flu at least once every 3 years, If I (over)used novahistine w/codiene when I knew the flu was in me, I would get over it within 12-18 hours instead of 3 days.
 
mmm yes, one cannot be totally immune to the ever changing world of microbes.

consider the stress response. sympathetic stimulation via exogenous methods such as amphetamine or the 'psycho-endogenous' would cause a marked increase in adrenocorticotropic hormone and thus cortisol. this is going to suppress the immune system as the body is geared up for the 'here & now' IE fighting off a sabre tooth. when relaxed, these hormones are less abundant (circulation). the body intricately produces its leukocytes and they probably live a lot longer in this mode.

the opiates will decrease the stress response/hormones significantly, the above process may exceed what is normally expected of it. one would not be newly immune to anything in particular, just have a marked increase in WBC count in general. higher WBC count would make an infection/invasion more prone to quick phagocytosis. thus the infection does not last as long and may not even be noticeable, but it was there.

this is based on the assumption that what was read was true. that is, opiates suppress adrenocorticotropic hormone. some opiates do, some dont. some will likely have a mix of both inhibition and excitation. it is up to the individual to do the research.

ive been wanting to put up a collection of information regarding this for a while but have not had the time. this would be a good thread to start posting any info you have regarding opiates and their direct effect on ACTH, cortisol, and other glucocorticoids.
 
Yea I think this is a significant effect if scientifically backed. There are way too many people experiencing it to be a coincidence. I am in no way justifying or promoting opiate abuse so you do not get sick just to be clear lol. For those of us taking pain medication for chronic pain it's definitely reassuring to hear others experiencing the same thing though.. for once a possible "good" side effect of prolonged opiate use rather than everyone constantly giving negative feedback.
 
I've been sick twice this year on buprenorphine, and haven't been sick for the years on heroin/bupe before this one.

I don't know what to say really. :| but I'd like to think that there's no appreciable effect.
 
The symptoms of a cold are almost entirely dependent on a strong immune system response causing collateral damage. Opiates inhibit the immune system leading to less symptoms. Infectious illnesses that effect the digestive system cause stomach pain and diarrhea. Guess what has polar opposite effects. As far as the flu, I just think opiates mask the symptoms well. The muscle aches, fatigue, digestive problems excluding nausea, fever, sore throat, and chills are all masked quite effectively. It the same reason people used to take opiates for pretty much every illness because it makes you feel great by lowering your perception of pain and suffering. In fact, I believe it was even prescribed for the flu long ago as a wonder drug.

Edit- I forgot to mention beta-endorphin enhances the immune system. Your body makes less of it when you have a large amount of exogenous opiates in your system bc the mu receptor is already being stimulated.
 
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