Fact Sheet on Narcotic Analgesics (Opiates)
What are Opioids?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse website, opioids
Also known as “opiates,” are a class of drugs with powerful pain-relieving properties.
Several of these are prescribed by doctors such as percocet, vicodin, and codeine. But
there also exist opiates such as heroin, which in many countries is considered illicit
(NIDA, 2011).
Types of Opiates
According the LIVESTRONG website, opiate drugs:
Are extracted from poppies grown mostly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Opium and its derivatives temporarily block pain. Drowsiness, abnormally
contracted pupils and facial scratching are signs of opiate use. Abrupt withdrawal
of these drugs causes flu-like symptoms: sweating, muscle aches, abdominal
cramps and vomiting. Because opiates are central nervous system depressants, an
overdose can lead to coma and death. Codeine, thebaine and morphine are derived
from opium; heroin is derived from morphine. These are opiate drugs. They bind
to opioid receptors in the body, producing dependence, tolerance and addiction, as
do other non-opiate semi-synthetic opioids
(Demand Media Inc., 2011).
Prescription and Illicit Opiates
The Employee Drug Testing Ace website provides a list of both licit and illicit drugs:
Licit Codeine
 Morphine
 Oxycontin
 Vicodin
 Hydrocodone
Illicit
 Heroin
( EDTA, 2011)
Street Names for Opiates
The Employee Drug Testing Ace website also provides several street names for opiate
based drugs:
 Captain
 Cody
 Loads
 Killer
 Shit
 Skag
 Vike
 Oxy
( EDTA, 2011).
Therapeutic Uses of Prescription Opiates:
According to our text, opioid’s most common clinical use is to relieve pain ( 2009).
Narcotic analgesics are effective against most varieties of pain ( 2009). When given in a
high enough dose narcotics can relieve the intense pain that is found with some types of
cancer. (2009).
Certain opioids are also used to suppress the coughing center of the brain ( 2009). In this
manner, they are used as anti-tussives. Codeine is frequently includes in cough medicine
( 2009). Due to their constipating nature, opioid narcotics are also used to relieve
diarrhea.(2009).
Physiological effects from the abuse of sedative hypnotics, both primary and
secondary or side effects
 Euphoria
 drowsiness impaired coordination
 dizziness
 confusion
 nausea
 sedation
 feeling of heaviness in the body
 slowed or arrested breathing
 constipation
 endocarditis
 hepatitis
 fatal overdose
( USDHHS, 2011)
Withdrawal Effects from Opiates
Early symptoms of withdrawal include:
 Agitation
 Anxiety
 Muscle aches
 Increased tearing
 Insomnia
 Runny nose
 Sweating
 Yawning
Late symptoms of withdrawal include:
 Abdominal cramping
 Diarrhea
 Dilated pupils
 Goose bumps
 Nausea
 Vomiting
Symptoms usually start within 12 hours of last heroin usage and within 30 hours of last
methadone exposure
( USDHHS, 2011)
Treatment Approaches to Opiate Abuse and Dependence
The most common treatments involve supportive care and medications. The most
commonly used medication, clonidine, primarily reduces anxiety, agitation, muscle
aches, sweating, runny nose and cramping (USDHHS, 2011).
.Buprenorphine (Suptex) has been shown to work better than other medications,
including clondine for treating withdrawal from opiates, and can shorten the length of
detox. It may also be used for long-term maintenance like methadone (USDHHS, 2011).
People withdrawing from heroin may be placed on long-term methadone maintenance.
This involves slowly decreasing dosages of methadone over time, which helps reduce the
intensity of withdrawal symptoms (USDHHS, 2011).
Some drug treatment programs have widely advertised treatments for opiate withdrawal
called detox under anesthesia or rapid opiate detox. Such programs involve placing a
client under anesthesia and injecting large doses of opiate-blocking drugs, which will
return the system to the proper functioning (USDHHS, 2011).
There is no evidence that these programs actually reduce the time spent in withdrawal,
and in some cases, they may increase the intensity of symptoms (USDHHS, 2011).
Additionally, there have been several deaths associated with the procedures, particularly
when they are done outside of the proper medical setting (USDHHS, 2011).
References
Demand Media Inc. ( 2011). Types of opiate drugs. Retrieved from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/75425-types-opiate-drugs/#ixzz1J9KxyjsW
Employee Drug Testing Ace. ( 2011). Opiates. Retrieved from http://www.employeedrug-testing-ace.com/employment-drug-screening-resources/employee-drugtesting-glossary/define-opiates-opi
Hanson, G., &Fleckenstein, A., & Ventrally, P. (2009). Drugs and society. Sudbury, MA:
Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. ( 2011). Opiates. Retrieved from
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/tag/opiates/
National Institute on Drug Abuse. ( 2011). Commonly abused drugs. Retrieved from
http://www.drugabuse.gov/DrugPages/DrugsofAbuse.html
US Department of Health and Human Services. ( 2011). Opiate withdrawal
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000949.html