Opioids and opiates are an important subject nowadays, especially because of the high level of lethal cases of overdose registered. There are multiple things that are good to know about these drugs and we tried to gather them all in this presentation.
2. Opioids/Opiates
Opioids encompass different substances, such as heroin
or morphine, but they all have the same method of
action. Prescription opioids, which have more or less the
same method of action as natural opiates, include drugs
such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl.
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3. Opioids/Opiates
With prolonged use, the user becomes both increasingly
tolerant to the substance, as well as dependent on it,
requiring increased dosage and suffering a barrage of
negative symptoms upon abrupt discontinuation (opioid
withdrawal symptoms). The deaths caused by opioid
overdose, especially from prescription drugs and heroin,
have reached epidemic levels all over the world.
Opioids include all substances producing a morphine-like
effect. One can differentiate between natural opium
derivates and synthetic drugs.
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4. Effects
Short term effects of opioids/opiates intake:
Feeling of euphoria
Pain relief
Drowsiness
Sedation
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6. Facts about opioids/opiates
1. The risk of crossing the thin line between capitalizing on
the analgesic effects of opiates/opioids, and becoming
addicted, is very high;
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7. Facts about opioids/opiates
2. The medical use of opiates includes pain relief
(acute pain after surgery, injury or trauma, cancer
pain, pain arising from disease), anesthesia, cough
suppression, diarrhea suppression, de-addiction (in
the case of heroin, for example);
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8. Facts about opioids/opiates
3. Mixing opioids or opiates with alcohol is highly
dangerous (increased risk of adverse events and
overdose);
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10. Facts about opioids/opiates
5. Opiates/opioids use can be lethal, irrespective of a
person’s history of use;
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11. 6. Fentanyl, a new synthetic opioid painkiller, is one of the
most dangerous substances at the moment, being 50 to 100
times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is also tasteless
and odorless, making it hard to recognize.
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Facts about opioids/opiates
12. 7. High doses of opioids, especially potent opioids such as
fentanyl, can cause respiratory depression, which can be fatal;
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Facts about opioids/opiates
13. 8. Fentanyl is extremely dangerous especially when taken in
combination with other drugs, e.g. if the consumers are not
aware that those drugs are cut with this substance. Most cases
of this kind are lethal;
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Facts about opioids/opiates
14. 9. Even 2 mg of Fentanyl is a lethal dose;
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Facts about opioids/opiates
15. 10. Carfentanyl is an analog of the synthetic opioid analgesic
fentanyl, and it is 10.000 more potent than morphine.
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Facts about opioids/opiates
16. If the opiates are prescribed to treat pain only for a short time
period, these are less likely to lead to an addiction. Problems
often appear when the patients develop a tolerance for the
drug and the initial prescribed doses does not have the initial
effect.
If you suspect that a friend/family member is using opioids
without prescription or supplements to the prescribed doses,
there are Opioids substance test that can confirm/contest the
suspicion in order to offer in time the needed help.
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Overdose death is preventable.
