Hi again!
I have a quick question for doctor Dave if he doesn’t mind answering for me and what seems to be a lot of other Internet forum posters.
I have been doing a little research regarding the pulmonary effects of illicit drug abuse, particularly intranasal use of prescription medications. I used this way daily for several years, totally ignorant to the fact that it might be damaging to my respiratory system.… I feel really stupid not knowing that it could do damage. I believed it was just the same as taking them as prescribed.
Anyways, all over the internet there are active and recovered drug addicts that seem to have had this argument over and over again regarding the long term consequences of this. There are theories, but no one has ever posted a direct personal experience that I can find or a response from an actual doctor. I am unable to find any medical papers despite scouring several search engines.
The theory is that long term intranasal use of prescription medications can cause pneumoconiosis like disease or progressive pulmonary fibrosis due to breathing the particulates into the lungs through your nose and causing damage. People even claim this can happen spontaneously after a decade of abstaining from use. There is also claims that this can result in COPD as well.
Is any of this possible or likely?
Would there have already been clear signs of this on my ct scan since it’s been so many years since I quit?
I would ask my doctor but I am afraid of how they would react considering the circumstances. If this is something I should be concerned about, I will discuss it with my doctor.
You never hear a word about this potentiality in any harm reduction information you find online, and I think if it’s a true danger, people should be informed about it and warned. Or.. is it just a myth that circulates among drug users?