Opioids are a class of prescription medications that are used to treat moderate-to-severe pain that results from surgeries or severe injuries. They are either man-made or occur naturally, but their synthetic makeup is derived from opium, which comes from the poppy plant.Medical treatment for pain is widely viewed as the starting point for the use of these potent medications. In the 1990s, doctors began to treat pain as a serious medical issue and prescribed OxyContin and Percocet to help people who sought relief from chronic, enduring pain.This classification of drugs, which includes the illegal drug heroin, reduces the number of messages the brain receives about pain, and changes how the opioid user processes it. This happens when opioids interact and bind with opioid receptors on the nerve cells in the body and brain.Opioid medications are for short-term use only. They are considered safe for the limited time specified in a doctor’s prescription. However, that does not keep people from abusing the drug for its euphoric highs and effective pain relief. Prescription drug abuse means users:
Take more of the medication than prescribed
Take opioids without a prescription
Take them in a way that is inconsistent with their purpose and design
On the streets and in the recreational drug scene, which is where a large number of deaths occur, opioids are called a variety of names, depending on the drug itself.All opioid medications bind to the Mu-opioid receptors, known as MORS, in the brain once they are ingested. NIDA explains that once these receptors are activated in the brain’s reward center, which is responsible for repeated drug use, “they stimulate the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, causing a reinforcement of drug-taking behavior.The consequences of activating opioid receptors with externally administered opioids, such as heroin (versus naturally occurring chemicals within our bodies), depend on a variety of factors: how much is used, the location in the brain or body it binds, how strongly it binds and for how long, how quickly it gets there, and what happens afterwards.”Large amounts of dopamine are released and flood the brain each time drug use occurs. Prolonged use minimizes pleasure over time, and abusing opioids only depletes the brain of dopamine. Chronic opioid users will find that they need to use more of the drugs because the brain’s response doesn’t respond as it did when use first started.The brain comes to rely on an outside source for its dopamine production, which becomes a problem when use is stopped. When users go through this period, they experience depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts.Opioid prescriptions are used to treat pain from surgeries, injuries, and chronic diseases. Most people that use them as directed, never experience chemical dependency or addiction.However, misusing prescription opioids can quickly lead to addiction and other consequences. Plus, studies show a link between the misuse of prescription opioids and used heroin.The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that nearly 80 percent of the people that use heroin reported misusing prescription opioids first. Abused prescriptions often come from family members and friends that get more pills than they need and give the rest to someone who doesn’t have a prescription. If you have one of the following, prescriptions, it’s important to treat them with care:Codeine – An opiate liquid pain reliever and cough suppressant prescribed to treat mild-to-moderately severe pain for short-term treatment. Street names for this drug include Captain Cody, Cody, Lean, Sizzurp, and Purple Drank.Demerol – Known generically as meperidine or pethidine–Demerol is a fast-acting narcotic pain reliever commonly used as an anesthetic pain reliever for pregnant women who are in labor. On the streets, Demerol may be called demmies for short.Darvocet – This medication, a combination of propoxyphene and acetaminophen, was taken off the market in 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after concerns arose about its effects on the heart. This drug has been linked to serious side-effects, and people are at risk of developing an opioid addiction.Dilaudid – Known as hydromorphone hydrochloride generically, Dilaudid is derived from morphine and most commonly used in hospital settings. Dilaudid abusers often crush, chew, snort, or inject it when it is in a dissolved form so they can get the intense rush that occurs immediately after it enters the bloodstream. D, Dillies, Footballs, Juice, and Smack are some slang names for Dilaudid.Fentanyl – This synthetic opioid is commonly used intravenously in medical settings as an anesthetic, but it is also used in the recreational drug scene and ramping up the risks with its deadly effects. The extremely potent drug is used to cut other drugs, such as heroin. Authorities say its emergence and use with other drugs is increasing opioid-related overdose death rates. On the streets, fentanyl is referred to as Apache, China Girl, China White, Dance Fever, Tango and Cash, and Friend.Hydrocodone – Sold under the trade name Vicodin, Norco, Lorcet, and Lortab, hydrocodone is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from codeine. The effects of the euphoria associated with hydrocodone make it easy for people using the drug to develop an opioid addiction. Street names include Vike and Watson-387.Methadone – Methadone is an opioid medication used to treat opioid addiction, but not without effects if used improperly. While it reduces withdrawal symptoms of other opioids, people can become dependent on it during addiction treatment. Using methadone with other opioids can lead to dangerous side effects.Morphine – Morphine is an opiate that occurs naturally in plants and animals. It treats acute and chronic pain; however, it is highly addictive. Morphine is the most abundant analgesic opioid in opium, and its use is prevalent in medical settings. It can also be used illicitly and causes intense physical dependence. Slang names for morphine are M, Miss Emma, Monkey, White Stuff.Oxycodone – This narcotic pain reliever is a semi-synthetic opioid and one of the most commonly abused drugs of abuse. It causes euphoria, drowsiness and immediate pain relief contributes to the current opioid epidemic. Oxycodone immediately relieves pain, which can cause addiction in people who abuse it, and physical dependence, which can happen to people who have legitimate prescriptions for it.OxyContin – Oxycontin is a brand name for oxycodone and Roxicodone. People with opioid addiction bypass OxyContin’s time-release feature by crushing up the medication to swallow it, snort it, or inject it to get its full effects immediately. When the medication is used properly, the time-release feature helps people manage pain more effectively during a 24-hour period. Street names for OxyContin include O.C., Oxycet, Oxycotton, Oxy, and Hillbilly Heroin.Percocet – This medication is a combination of the opioid pain reliever oxycodone and acetaminophen. It treats acute to moderate pain and must be administered as a prescription drug. The use of an opioid and non-opioid pain reliever makes this drug especially harmful to the body. It is still highly addictive, and it has a high abuse risk. This drug is called Percs for short on the recreational drug scene.Suboxone – Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, comes in the form of a super-thin strip that resembles a breath strip. It alleviates the symptoms of opioid addiction withdrawal almost immediately. It is commonly used in opioid detox for people with addiction and dependency. It is a partial opioid that attaches to the brain’s opioid receptors, but it doesn’t activate them. That’s because naloxone (brand name Narcan) blocks the drug’s highs.Tramadol –  Tramadol comes in a generic and brand form. Ultram is the brand name for tramadol.  Tramadol treats moderate to severe pain. It is a narcotic-like pain reliever, but not a narcotic. Tramadol has a side effect that mimics antidepressant medication. According to Drugs.com, misuse of tramadol can cause dependence and addiction.Heroin, a highly addictive illegal opiate derived from morphine, is also included in the opioid class drugs that are responsible for thousands of overdose deaths in the United States. It also may be called an opiate because it is processed from a naturally occurring plant.