Narcotics like heroin, codeine, morphine, demerol, and talwin, are highly addictive drugs. They act on the central nervous system to reduce sensitivity to pain. They produce a rush and then euphoria. Withdrawal is painful and dangerous. In a short period of time, users develop physical addictions that require feeding their habit every three to six hours to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
Treatment can consist of nonaddicting medications to help users detoxify.
Designer drugs are various kinds of street drugs that are developed in illegal laboratories. They can be similar to narcotics, stimulants or hallucinogens. Users never know quite what they are getting into with these drugs, and diagnosis and treatment can be very difficult, if not impossible. The consequences are unpredictable and can be permanent. Combined with alcohol they are the most common cause of accidental overdose and suicide.