Can an Overdose Cause Brain Damage? What You Need to Know

Addiction can affect cognitive functioning and mental health in numerous ways, leading to cognitive impairment, loss of focus, memory issues, and a reduced ability to learn or retain information. Drug overdose, especially involving opioid use disorder and synthetic opioids like oxycodone or methamphetamine, can more directly impact the brain by causing seizures or reducing oxygen flow. This oxygen deprivation, also known as anoxia or anoxic brain injury, can result in severe cognitive deficits, traumatic brain injury, or encephalopathy in some cases.

Opioid overdoses are particularly dangerous and can lead to both fatal and non-fatal overdoses, increasing the risk of anoxic brain injury due to oxygen deprivation. When opioids attach to receptors in brain cells, they block pain signals from the nerves, but in higher doses, they can also block signals that control breathing and heart rate, slowing the oxygen flow to the brain. This can lead to severe impairment, brain damage, or death. Naloxone (brand name Narcan) is a critical medication for reversing opioid overdose, potentially preventing these severe outcomes if administered promptly.

Addressing addiction issues early with the help of healthcare providers, family support, and public health interventions is essential to reduce the increased risk of overdose-related complications. Seeking addiction treatment now is the best way to mitigate the potential for cognitive impairment or life-threatening outcomes from overdose.

Risk Factors for Opioid Overdose

Opioid addiction comes with a built-in risk of overdose because of the way in which these substances affect the brain. According to the American Psychological Association, about 136 people die of opioid-related overdoses each day in the United States. Some of the most common factors that increase the risk of opioid overdose include the following:

• Changes in drug tolerance: Patients who have recently been released from prison or a drug rehabilitation program and who begin to use opioids and other drugs may have a lower tolerance for these substances. This can result in unintentional overdose on opioids and certain other substances, which can increase the risk of an overdose among these individuals.
• Previous overdoses: Patients who have previous overdose incidents are more likely to experience overdoses in the future.
• Changes in how opioids are administered: Changing from smoking or snorting drugs to injecting them directly into the bloodstream is also associated with a higher risk of overdose for many drugs.
• Mixing drugs: Combining opioids with alcohol, antidepressants and other substances can also increase the risk of overdose in addicted individuals.
• Solitary use of drugs: Using drugs alone can increase the risks not only of overdose but of death or severe injury caused by overdoses of opioids and other drugs.
• Poor physical health: Patients with serious or chronic health problems are more likely to overuse drugs or alcohol, which can lead to a higher risk of overdose among these vulnerable individuals.
• Variations in illegally obtained opioids: The strength, quality and purity of illegally obtained opioids can pose real risks to users. In some cases, cheaper drugs may be used to increase the apparent effects of opioids and other drugs obtained from street sources.

While opioids are often the focus of studies on overdose deaths and brain damage, other substances may also be implicated in certain categories of brain injuries.

What Substances Have Been Linked to Brain Damage From Overdose?

Depending on the severity of addiction, the tolerance of the user and the concentration of the substance in the bloodstream, a variety of drugs and substances have been linked to brain damage caused by overdose:

• Alcohol, when used in large quantities, has been linked with respiratory depression. This is one of the key factors in reducing the flow of oxygen to the brain and can cause hypoxia and brain damage.
• Amphetamines are also implicated in the disruption of the blood-brain barrier, which can allow toxins from the blood supply to enter the brain and to do damage to nerve cells.
• Inhalant drugs, including airplane glue, lighter fluid, cleaning products and gasoline, can be absorbed into the bloodstream and can cause direct damage to brain cells along with suppressing and replacing the flow of oxygen to the brain.
• Cocaine use can change the structures of the brain, which can cause brain damage and loss of gray matter in patients with long-term addiction issues.
• Opioids pose the greatest threat to users in terms of brain damage and overdose potential. Substances like codeine, fentanyl, morphine, hydrocodone, tramadol and heroin are among the most commonly abused and readily available opioids. Because these drugs attach to receptors in the brain that control pain and pleasure, opioid overdose cases can quickly result in loss of oxygen to the brain that can cause damage to tissue and could lead to death.

Understanding the mechanisms by which opioids and other drugs affect brain function and can cause brain injuries can allow patients and their families to reduce the risk of these serious consequences of addiction.

How an Overdose Can Cause Brain Damage

During normal medical use, opioids are administered in dosages designed to relieve pain without blocking essential signals from nerve endings. Prescription opioids can be abused or overused, however, which can result in severe inhibition of the central nervous system. In essence, the body forgets how to breathe on its own. Slowdowns in both breathing and heart rate can quickly lead to a loss of consciousness due to lack of oxygen reaching the brain.

Brain cells can die within just a few minutes when deprived of oxygen and nutrients. When enough of these cells die, the function of the brain is usually severely reduced. The Brain Injury Association of America estimates that about 25 percent of those who are admitted for brain injury rehabilitation require treatment because of drug or alcohol abuse.

Hypoxic brain injuries are not uncommon among overdose survivors. These injuries can cause serious and ongoing issues that may include the following:

• Short-term or longer-term memory loss
• Temporary paralysis in legs or arms
• Disorientation and mental confusion
• Strokes
• Loss of motor skills
• Seizures
• Incontinence
• Loss of control of eye movements
• Changes in walking gait
• Slower reaction times

While these issues are most common among opioid overdose survivors, patients who overdose on alcohol and other drugs may also experience some or all of these side effects. Withdrawal from some medications and substances can also pose risks of seizures, which can sometimes cause brain injury resulting from lack of oxygen or direct damage caused by falls.

What Are the Signs of Brain Damage After an Overdose?

Warning signs of brain injuries caused by overdoses, strokes and physical impacts include the following:

• Severe headaches can be early warning signs that not enough oxygen is reaching the brain and that prompt medical attention is needed to prevent damage to nerve cells.
• Issues with cognitive processes that may include mental fogginess, poor judgment, slowed thinking and general disorientation are often signs that brain function is impaired. Some overdose patients may also have trouble reading, writing or remembering basic information.
• Slurred speech can occur after a stroke or an overdose-related brain injury.
• Balance problems and dizziness are often associated with brain injuries caused by overdoses or other factors.
• Irritability and mood disorders may occur if brain function has been impaired by a drug or alcohol overdose.
• Seizures are one of the most obvious signs of brain damage caused by overdose. Seeking medical attention quickly can often mitigate some of the potential effects of brain injuries caused by overdose, by severe impacts to the head or by other medical conditions.

Can Brain Damage Be Reversed?

Most medical authorities believe that brain damage cannot be reversed because neurons, the primary cells found in the brain, do not regenerate. The cells that are lost in an overdose will never be restored. However, the brain can often compensate for even serious injuries by rerouting neural paths around the damaged areas. Seeking treatment for addiction disorders can often reduce the risk of future brain damage while providing avenues for recovery from brain injuries caused by overdoses. While every case is different, many patients see good results through a targeted program of recovery from addiction combined with treatment for brain injury issues.

Begin Your Recovery at Long Island Interventions

Finding the right team to assist you in recovering from substance use disorders, drug abuse, substance abuse, and hypoxic brain injury can be challenging. At Long Island Interventions, we offer customized addiction treatment plans that are tailored to suit your needs now and as your recovery progresses. We provide both inpatient and outpatient rehab programs, as well as drug and alcohol detoxification services to address issues related to substance use and drug use.

If you have a friend or loved one who needs immediate help, our trained professional interventionists can offer guidance and support in addressing concerns with drug or alcohol addiction.

To learn more about the services we offer at Long Island Interventions, call our team today. We’re here to help you begin your recovery in a safe and caring environment and to provide you with the tools you need to build a brighter tomorrow.

Published on: 2024-10-31
Updated on: 2024-10-31