The Opioids And Its Effects

Analysis: Opioids are a class of drug that are medically used as very effective painkillers, like fentanyl and morphine, however, they are highly addictive and produce a feeling of euphoria (“Opioids”). This combination leads do a lot of abuse and dependency, where people take more than prescribed in order to feel better. People start off taking the opioid painkillers in order to not feel pain as prescribed by their doctors. Then, they end up getting addicted to them. There are also illicit opioids, such as heroin, that are also highly addictive and also lead to dependency and death (“Opioids”). These illicit versions are taken for recreational reasons, and are also often mixed with other drugs. The combination of taking an unregulated drug in conjunction with other drugs leads to a lot of overdoses.

Weeks before my 12th birthday, I went to an emergency center thinking that I had an ear infection. Sitting in a hospital bed, I recall panicking, as I realized I could not move my legs. 2 years and a vast multitude of tests later, doctors were able to determine that I have an autonomic nervous system condition called Dysautonomia. Now, at 19 years of age, my doctor has just signed the paperwork so that I can become a medical marijuana card holder. After years of dealing with the dilemma that is prescription opioids, I have found myself opting for medical marijuana instead, and for good reason. Without a doubt, medical marijuana is a better alternative to prescription opioids in terms of overdoses, negative side effects, and psychoactive properties.

There is no question that the alarming rate of deaths related to opioid overdose needs to be addressed in this county, but the way to solve the problem seems to remain a trial and error approach at this point. A patient is injured, undergoes surgery, experiences normal wear and tear on a hip, knee or back and has to live with that pain for the rest of their life or take a narcotic pain medication in order to improve their quality of life and at least be able to move. The above patients are what narcotic pain medications were created for, a population of people that use narcotic pain medications for fun is what is creating a problem. Narcotics are addictive to both populations, however taking the narcotic for euphoric reasons is not the intention of the prescription that the physician is writing. The healthcare system needs to find a way to continue to provide patients that experience chronic pain with the narcotics that work for them while attempting to ensure the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) doesn’t have to worry about a flood of pain pills hitting the streets by granting access to the population with a substance abuse problem.

When opioids are used chronically, tolerance and dependence can occur and the side effects differ depending on the substance, as does the abuse potential (Addiction.com, 2011) (Steven A. Adelman, William J. Meehan, 2010). Combining or improper use of opioid medication with other prescription or over the counter medication could be fatal (CAMH, 2010) (Canada, 2009).

Opioids are classified as opium like compounds; some (ex. codeine and morphine) exist naturally in opium, which is a gummy substance derived from the seedpod of the opium poppy, indigenous to Southern Asia. Other opioids are of the synthetic category, such as methadone or fentanyl (opioidaddictionsource.com). Though the use of prescription opioids may be well intended, due to their effect on the brain chemistry, it is fairly common for one to become addicted to them; America is amidst a raging prescription opioid epidemic, in fact.

The reason that this drug can be so intense and dangerous is because it falls into the category II narcotics. Many commonly known narcotics include opium, morphine, and heroin. The addiction rate of any of these drugs is phenomenal. Narcotics are central nervous system depressants that relieve pain without causing the loss of consciousness. They can also produce feelings drowsiness, mental confusion and euphoria. The analgesic effects of narcotics result from the drugs’ effects on the emotional aspects of pain. Many patients that experience intense pain say that after the administration of the narcotic, their pain is as intense as ever but no longer as bothersome. Because narcotics block the emotional side effects of pain they make it much more bearable.

Opioids are drugs that come from opium. Opium is the dried latex which comes from the opium poppy seed. These drugs create an euphoric effect on the brain. They attach to receptors in the brain to release opium. There are four classes of opioids. Endogenous opioids which the body release on its own at moments of joy. Opium alkaloid, semi-synthetic opioids, and fully-synthetic opioid which are all human made chemically in labs.

The opioid epidemic in America continues to grow at an alarming rate with no end in sight. All narcotics are derived from the opium poppy plant and then manufactured into different forms of drugs such as morphine, heroin, and other pharmaceutical and synthetic opioid drugs sold on the market for pain. Opium derived drugs block and suppress pain by binding to and stimulating the natural receptor sites for endorphins found in the central nervous system of a user’s brain. Patients who are prescribed narcotic drugs can quickly become addicted to the drugs because their body’s will stop producing endorphins and instead

People use drugs, legal and illegal, because their lives are intolerably painful or dull” said Wendell Berry. The same could be said with a toxic organic compound named Morphine. Morphine is white, crystalline and odorless which contain 17 carbon, 19 hydrogen atoms, 1 nitrogen atom and 3 oxygen. (C17H19NO3) Under organic compounds, it’s classified in the “True Alkaloid” group as the nitrogen is organized in a heterocycle and originated from amino acid. Morphine are produced through an extraction from plants like “Papaver Somniferous” then processed or produced synthetically for medication and recreational purposes.

Opioid addiction is a condition that is preventable as well as one which individuals display several noticeable risk factors before the actual addiction prognosis to the point of causing death. There is a strong correlation between the early misuse of prescription opioids, which are prescribed for non-cancer pain management, and the development of a dependence on such opioids. Early detection of risk factors such as the misuse of opioids that are prescribed will help indicate that a patient is developing an addiction.1 Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers must closely monitor patients and the rate at which opioids are consumed as well as refilled.

Patients would regularly take their prescribed opioid medications in order to relieve the symptoms of their pain. In

“More than 16,600 people a year, die from overdoses of drugs, including Methadone, Morphine, and Oxycodone (OxyContin) and Hydrocodone combined with Acetaminophen (Lortab and Vicodin)” stated Consumers Report. The drugs listed above are all examples of Opioids. They are individual drugs that launch endorphins to the central nervous system which controls pain and relieves the severity of pain felt or silences it. Opioids also generate a sense of exhilaration and a calmness which is a product of the Analgesic effect. That feeling is one of the main reasons why people abuse opioids, they

Prescription painkillers go by many names, opiates, opioids, and narcotics. There are also types of opiates; some legal and some not. Some types of legal opiates include: codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, and methadone (MSU). Each one of these have different potencies and side effects, but they are all equally as dangerous as the next one. There are too many of these dangerous drugs, therefore, people believe they are safe. The problem is that they are not safe; these drugs need to be banned immediately.

Opioids can be divided into three categories: Opiates, Semi-Synthetic Opioids, and Synthetic Opioids. Opiates are derived directly from opium poppies. They include drugs such as Morphine and Codeine. Semi-Synthetic Opioids are derived from Opiates. They include many prescription painkillers such as Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, and Oxymorphone. However, this category also includes the illegal street drug Heroin. The third category is Synthetic Opioids, which are not derived from opiates and include drugs such as Fentanyl, Buprenorphine, and Methadone.

These combination codeine medicines, which is a type of opioid, are produced to provide pain relief for headache, back pain, dental pain and post-surgical pain and for management of cold and flu symptoms. When taken in large dosages above the recommended amount, these drugs can affect the brain similarly to illegal drugs and hence produce relaxation and euphoria (National Institute on Drug abuse 2014). Therefore, there are now growing concerns over abuse and dependency due to increased access and availability of these drugs (Shaheed, Maher & McLachlan