Smoking Opana | Effects & Dangers

Manish Mishra, MBBS

Medically Reviewed By: Manish Mishra, MBBS

on February 20, 2023

Smoking Opana can lead to severe sedation, respiratory depression, and an increased risk of pulmonary disease and life-threatening opioid overdose.

Smoking Opana can cause side effects such as sedation, drowsiness, and an increased risk of opioid overdose. Smoking Opana is not an approved form of opioid drug use.

Opana is a brand-name prescription opioid analgesic that contains oxymorphone. Opana was available in an extended-release formulation known as Opana ER before it was recalled from the legal drug market in 2018.

Immediate-release Opana is a Schedule II controlled substance with a high potential for drug abuse. Ohio treatment centers offer opioid addiction treatment programs to help you stop smoking Opana.

Smoking Opana

Opana can be smoked to feel a stronger high compared to swallowing the drug. Smoking Opana allows the drug to enter the bloodstream and central nervous system quickly, leading to stronger pain relief, sedation, and euphoria.

To combat snorting, injecting, plugging, and smoking Opana, opioid manufacturers Endo Pharmaceuticals created a crush-resistant reformulation of the drug in the early 2010s. 

However, studies showed that this form of the drug may have been ineffective in preventing Opana abuse. Opana could still be smoked by crushing tablets and inhaling the drug.

Intravenous, snorting, excessive ingestion, or nasal use of Opana are forms of opioid abuse with an increased risk of side effects.

Effects Of Smoking Opana

Smoking Opana can cause side effects such as:

  • sedation
  • dry mouth
  • drowsiness
  • impairment
  • constipation
  • decreased heart rate
  • low blood pressure

These effects may be stronger in higher doses of Opana.

Dangers Of Smoking Opana

The temporary euphoria and pain relief caused by smoking Opana may lead to long-term health effects. Taking Opana as directed can reduce your health risk in the long term.

Physical Health Effects

Smoking Opana can place undue stress on your lungs and cardiovascular system. Your chances of pulmonary diseases, heart disease, and stroke may increase when smoking Opana.

Illicit Opana pills may also contain fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid painkiller. A significant percentage of illicit prescription pills in Ohio may contain fentanyl, which can be ingested without the buyer knowing. 

Ingesting high doses of fentanyl can cause a life-threatening opioid overdose.

Opioid Overdose

Smoking Opana can have stronger effects on the central nervous system compared to normal ingestion. Your risk of a life-threatening overdose may increase when smoking Opana.

Signs of an Opana overdose may include respiratory depression (trouble breathing), clammy skin, blue lips or fingernails, and unconsciousness.

An opioid overdose can be reversed with naloxone, an opioid antagonist available in a nasal spray. Naloxone may be available through Project DAWN, a local naloxone distribution program.

Opioid Addiction

Smoking Opana can increase your risk of opioid addiction, a mental health condition where you are unable to stop abusing Opana despite ongoing health problems.

Physical dependence and opioid withdrawal symptoms, such as cravings, diarrhea, and insomnia, may occur alongside opioid addiction. The health effects of addiction can lead to difficulty quitting without professional help.

To find out if our inpatient opiate addiction treatment options, including opioid detox and medication-assisted treatment with methadone and buprenorphine, will work for you or your loved one, please contact us today.

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Prescription Painkiller Overdoses https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/prescriptionpainkilleroverdoses/index.html
  2. Drug Enforcement Administration — COUNTERFEIT PILLS FACT SHEET https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/DEA-OPCK_FactSheet_December%202021.pdf
  3. Food and Drug Administration — Oxymorphone (marketed as Opana ER) Information https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/oxymorphone-marketed-opana-er-information
  4. National Library of Medicine — Oxymorphone Extended-Release Tablets (Opana ER) For the Management of Chronic Pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2888551/

Written by Ohio Recovery Center Editorial Team

© 2024 Ohio Recovery Center | All Rights Reserved

* This page does not provide medical advice.

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