What are the most commonly abused opiates?
All naturally occurring drugs in the opiate family are derived from the seedpods of P. somniferum, the opium poppy. Synthetic forms of this compound are known as opioids. Pain relief (“analgesia” in medical terms) is the most common application of these substances.
Opium has a long history of use as a euphoric drug, going back more than 5,000 years to the “opium dens” of China. Opium itself is a milky-white sap that oozes from cuts in the seedpods of the opium poppy.
More common opiates/opioids include morphine, codeine, heroin, hydrocodone and name brand prescription medications such as Demerol, Percodan, Oxycontin and Fentanyl, among others.
How do abusers of this drug use them?
Opium itself can be eaten, sniffed, smoked or injected. Morphine and heroin are generally injected. Codeine, hydrocodone and most other synthetic forms are in pill form, and are usually swallowed—although they can also be crushed and snorted, or dissolved and injected.
Depending on the desperation of an addict, or the intensity of his or her addiction, the drug can be injected under the skin, into muscle tissue, or directly into the bloodstream.
Oxycontin is the brand name for the chemical compound oxycodone. Other medications containing oxycodone include Percocet and Percodan. While all of these are susceptible to abuse, Oxycontin has become popular among abusers because its time-release tablets (intended to give effective pain relief over a 12 hour period) can be crushed and ingested, releasing the full strength of the drug immediately.
How do they affect the user physically and mentally?
When a part of the body is experiencing physical pain, messages are sent along the body’s nervous system to the pain sensors in the brain. Opiate compounds relieve pain by blocking the brain’s ability to “read” these messages.
When abused, opiates rush to the brain and—without a pain message to block—activate the brain’s reward center, creating a sense of euphoria or “rush.”
The abuser’s physical senses are numbed, and mental acuity decreases. After the initial high, the user will feel extremely sleepy and out of touch with his or her environment.
What symptoms do opiate users exhibit?
Physical symptoms abusers experience include:
- decreased alertness
- slowed coordination
- impaired vision
- loss of appetite
- overdose (potentially fatal respiratory failure)
Mental symptoms, such as lack of concentration, memory loss and others are largely a result of the somnambulant effects of these compounds. In other words, most users quickly fade after the initial euphoria, and simply want to rest.
What are the potential consequences of taking too much of one of these substances?
Virtually all abused drugs have a potential for disastrous consequences. Opiates are no exception.
Decreased respiration is an expected side effect of all opiates. When abused (used too frequently, or in high doses), death by respiratory failure—the person simply stops breathing—is a strong possibility. Since there is no “quality control” available for drugs used without the oversight of a physician, the user has no way of knowing how potent a particular dose may be. Overdose and death, therefore, can occur at any time—even with the first use.