Does continuous drug use make you vulnerable to sickness?

Question

Like, does it weaken your immune system?

Answer 1

It can but the effects are generally not due to the drugs themselves but to the unhealthy habits associated with abusing drugs.

You will note above that only one person provided an actual reference. Ignore answers from anyone who can't provide a reference.

The reference above indicates that heroin users have lots of health problems. This should come as no surprise, but it isn't due to the effects of the heroin. Heroin is simply another form of ordinary hospital morphine that is prescribed routinely to millions of patients every year with no ill effects. The major ill effects are addiction, constipation, and possible damage to hearing. It does not affect the immune system. People can, and do, take it for decades with no damage to the immune system.

Two famous examples of people who used it for decades were Dr. William Stewart Halsted, who is known as the "father of modern surgery", and Senator Joseph McCarthy of anti-communist fame.

However, heroin addicts often don't take care of themselves very well. They don't eat well, they don't practice proper ordinary hygeine, they inject impure drugs, and they often use dirty needles. The practice of injecting drugs itself can be quite unhealthy, resulting in all sorts of infections.

In addition, heroin addicts often didn't start out as the healthiest people before they became addicted. Female addicts have a very high history of sexual abuse as children and male addicts often have extensive antisocial and criminal careers before they become addicts. These people didn't start out at the top of society so it is little wonder that they have lots of health problems, even if they ddn't use heroin.

You should also know that many of the illegal drugs are prescribed routinely in medicine, with no evidence that they compromise the immune system.

You can read a good discussion of the health effects of various drugs in the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs at http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cumenu.htm

Answer 2

I dont know the answer for adults on that but I do know that a friend of mine was a habitual speed and weed and acid user and she became pregnant and didn't know it for the first 6 months and then once she realized she was pregnant she quit all drug use and her son was born with low birth weight and very weak immune system. He had ear infections every two weeks or so for the first 2-3 years of his life. I can't prove that her drug use was the reason for it but she had a second baby years later after being clean and sober and that baby had maybe 4 ear infections in his 6 years of life.

Answer 3

It depends on the drugs you are using...They all, even the prescribed ones make your body toxic in one way or another. If you are smoking weed then your lungs will be more vulnerable to infection and disease. If it's cocaine or any kind of speed then it will affect your heart which affects your entire body....If you are abusing prescription medication then your liver and kidneys will eventually revolt.....Anytime you do more drugs than taking care of yourself it is going to weaken you and therefore your immune system...I an not a prude... When I was young.....woowee...I'm paying for it now......Wisdom by experience...Take my advice, partying only occasionally eat right exercise regularly and when you get to where your job is right, and your life is right you will be healthy enough to enjoy it. Above all don't smoke, if you do , quit now........,..

Answer 4

Yes it will weaken your immune system if you keep putting drug that the doctor doesn't give you in your body

Answer 5

No kidding! drug use does alot of things. Like your body has time to worry about your immune system when your heart, liver, and brain cells are under attack.

Answer 6

Absolutely.

Answer 7

Yes.

"Burden of Medical Illness in Drug and Alcohol Dependent Persons without Primary Care
Little is known about the frequency, severity and risk factors for disease in drug and alcohol dependent persons without primary medical care. This article assesses the burden of medical illness and identifies patient and substance dependence characteristics associated with worse physical health in order to compare measures of illness burden in this population. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study among alcohol, heroin or cocaine dependent persons without primary medical care admitted to an urban inpatient detoxification unit (mean age = 35.7 years; 76% male; 46% Black). Forty-five percent reported being diagnosed with a chronic illness, and 80% had prior medical hospitalizations. The mean age-adjusted SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) score was significantly lower than the general U.S. population norm (44.1 vs. 50.1). In multivariable analysis, the following factors were associated with worse health: female gender, problem use of hallucinogens, heroin, other opiates, living alone, having medical insurance, and older age. Alcohol and drug dependent persons without primary medical care have a substantial burden of medical illness compared to age and gender matched U.S. population controls. While the optimal measure of medical illness burden in this population is unclear, a variety of health measures document this medical illness burden in addicted persons. De Alba, I., Samet, J.H. and Saitz, R. Burden of Medical Illness in Drug and Alcohol Dependent Persons without Primary Ccare. American Journal of Addiction, 13, pp. 33-45, 2004."
http://www.drugabuse.gov/consequences/

Answer 8

Yes it does. Ex: Taking antibiotics constantly reduces the effect in a case when you may really need them.