Opiate Articles, Blogs and Resources

What are Opiates?

Opiates for pain managementOpioids are a collection of potent narcotics derived from the poppy plant, and that consists of opium or a natural or synthetic derivative of opium. Normally, opioids are used to induce sleep or relieve pain since they work as a depressant in the central nervous system.

Opiates work in the body by connecting to opioid receptors, which are located in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract. In doing so, opiates are able to prevent the release of pain messages and can change the way a person encounters pain.

Opioids also stimulate the neurotransmitters in the brain’s reward system, the results are euphoric like effects. All medicines that are opiate-based must be prescribed by a physician. Usually, these prescriptions are provided with purposes of controlling pain and alleviating the effects of pain.

Due to the fact that the pain-relieving effects of opioids are short-lived and a strong euphoric experience is encountered, the concern of developing an addiction is greatly increased. Opiates can be derived naturally, or they can be man-made.

Naturally occurring opioids include Morphine, Codeine, heroin and opium. Synthetic opioids, which are man-made drugs that simulate opiates, include medications such as Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Hydrocodone, Methadone, Demerol, Darvon, and Vicodin.

These are some of the most common types of natural and synthetic opioids:

  • Codeine
  • Morphine
  • Oxycodone
  • Percocet
  • OxyContin,
  • Percodan
  • Hydromorphone
  • Palladone
  • Dilaudid
  • Hydrocodone
  • Lorcet
  • Forten
  • Vicodin
  • Heroin
  • Methadone

Opioids are accessible in many forms, including capsules, pills, tablets, and liquids. Typically, opiates are ground and snorted or inhaled, swallowed, or injected when used recreationally.

Opiates do offer a lot of benefits as they can provide relief to pain, and therefore enhancing the quality of life for a person enduring bodily illnesses. However, they can quickly be misused. All kinds of opiates and opioids can be addictive, some with greater potential for addiction than others. 

Please continue reading below to see our latest blog posts on opioids. Under the “Substance Abuse Navigation” menu, you can click on the drop-down arrow to see evergreen, general information on abusing opiates.

Treatment for Alcohol and Opioid Addiction

Woman thinking about her Alcohol and Opioid Addiction treatment Alcohol and opioid addiction are a dangerous combination. Using alcohol while also taking opioids can cause deadly respiratory problems and has led to doctors in emergency rooms seeing more fatalities. [1] The combination can cause short-term effects such as mental confusion, nausea or vomiting, poor memory and concentration, anxiety, or a slow rate of breathing. [...]
Read More

Sesame Street Comes to the Rescue of the Opioid Crisis

Sesame Street Characters - Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Elmo, Grover, and Abby Cadabby 2019 marks the 50th year of the PBS children's educational show Sesame Street, and a new sesame street character named Karlie is being introduced. True to their form, the creators of the program began by asking a simple question, can television be used to educate kids? Utilizing research in the fields of developmental psychology and [...]
Read More

NIH Plan for Long Term Addiction

Couple enjoying the new year Every day in the United States, more than 130 individuals die from an opioid overdose. [1] While there are effective treatments available for opioid dependence, less than 10% of people who need treatment actually receive it. [2] According to the Center for Disease Control, the number of people dying from opioid overdose began a steep [...]
Read More

Teens Abusing Prescription Drugs

Father And Teenage Son Hugging - Addiction Hope A lot is going on in adolescence. During these years, tremendous changes are happening in the body and brain, not to mention the sexual, social, relational, and spiritual awakenings. Sadly, teen prescription abuse is often a part of adolescence as well. Daniel Siegel, MD, is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of [...]
Read More

Methadone & Buprenorphine: Combatting Opiate Addiction

Man talking to doctor about receiving approved medications like methadone and buprenorphine treatment for addiction More than 2.3 million Americans are battling an opioid use disorder (OUD), but only less than half of this population are receiving approved medications like methadone and buprenorphine to treat the disorder. This is despite the fact that medication is the only treatment supported by years of evidence depicting its efficacy in assisting patients to recover [...]
Read More