9781422273869

Opiates and Opioids Examples: codeine, fentanyl, heroin, methadone, morphine, oxycodone (OxyContin) You’ve probably heard discussions about an ongoing “crisis” of opiate and opioid misuse. This is due to an alarming and tragic increase in deaths from particular formulations of some of these drugs. But in a way, this crisis is nothing new. Humanity’s relationship with opiate drugs goes back more than 5,000 years, when ancient Sumerians began cultivating what they called “the joy plant,” better known to us as the poppy. The Victorian-era “miracle” drug called laudanum was an opiate-alcohol mix that was used for everything from depression and menstrual pain to tuberculosis and crying babies. Today’s drugs like heroin and OxyContin are just different versions of the same thing. How and why they are administered has changed, but in terms of their chemistry and impact, all drugs in this category are fundamentally the same. Opioids are chemically the same as opiates, but they are made in laboratories. Morphine is an opiate, made directly from the poppy, while oxycodone is an opioid, made artificially. Researchers didn’t precisely understand what made opiates and opioids so attractive to humans until the 1970s. Essentially, chemicals in opiates are similar to endorphins , the naturally occurring chemicals in the body that cause feelings of pleasure. The drugs essentially “flood the zone” in the brain, leading to a very fast reduction in pain and increase in pleasure. Breathing slows down, and the user becomes drowsy. Nausea and vomiting are very common side effects, as is constipation. And it’s not only breathing that slows; the digestive system slows down, too.

Teen Guides to Health & Wellness: Drugs and Alcohol

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