Its pleasant, flowery scent when smoked contributes to its seemingly benign and drowsy Oz-like effects, and until the early 1800s - when morphine was first isolated and extracted - it was not only a popular treatment for pain but also a powerfully addictive, choice drug of abuse. Raw or “crude” opium is smoked, sniffed, or eaten. They may search out the drug on the streets, and may even raid medicine cabinets or steal Ox圜ontin from pharmacies. Addicted users often seek out doctors who will write Ox圜ontin prescriptions without thoroughly checking their medical histories. Abuse of Ox圜ontin began to be a problem in 2000, and by 2002 had become a cause of national concern as thousands of people were ending up in emergency rooms after abusing drugs containing oxycodone. This practice quickly turns a safe medication into a highly addictive drug. Recreational drug users have discovered that prescription Ox圜ontin tablets can be crushed and then injected or snorted, which produces a euphoric, heroin-like high. Which narcotics are most likely to be abused? ![]() The popular over-the-counter drug Imodium (loperamide), for example, is an opiate, but because it never enters the central nervous system it causes none of the addictive symptoms that morphine does. Respiratory failure is sometimes the cause of death in morphine overdoses.Īlong with their pain-killing qualities, opiates are also the most successful type of drug for treating severe diarrhea. Morphine’s side effects can also include incoherence, vomiting, and suppression of the immune system, along with irregular or shallow breathing. Relatively minor withdrawal symptoms may include runny nose, sweating and anxiety. Almost all patients on morphine, codeine, or other prescription opiates develop dependence and go through some level of withdrawal upon discontinuing use. Amanda Gruber, associate chief of substance abuse in the biological psychiatry laboratory of the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital. It’s a tricky situation, however - dependence occurs so easily that iatrogenic (caused by medical treatment) addiction is very common, according to Dr. Morphine’s incredible analgesic qualities make it invaluable in hospitals and in the treatment of chronic pain. Historically, medicine’s best-known narcotic is morphine, which is 10 times stronger than codeine. Similar to morphine, oxycodone can be addictive if not taken as directed. Thanks to the news flurry around Rush Limbaugh’s addiction to Ox圜ontin (generic name: oxycodone), most people have heard of this opioid prescribed for chronic pain management. In medicine, opiates have long been used to kill and control pain as well as suppress terrible coughing, induce sleep, and prevent diarrhea.ĭoctors have widely prescribed the opium derivative codeine as a pain and cough reliever over the years, although its use as a cough suppressant has waned in the face of new, less addictive drugs. There, narcotics slow down the central nervous system and often produce a short but powerful sensation of euphoria and well-being. Taken into the body, narcotics - also known as opiates - plug into endorphin receptors in the brain, where they mimic the body’s natural proteins that help regulate pain, pleasure and emotion. It is then sold to drug manufacturers to make morphine and codeine black market manufacturers alter morphine to produce heroin. It played a major role in the so-called Opium Wars in China in 1839.Ĭertain varieties of poppy plants contain opium, a raw narcotic extracted from the plant in liquid form and then processed into a brownish powder known as refined opium. and its popularity for both medicinal and recreational use created a bustling trade between East and West. References to opium date back to 3,000 B.C. The term narcotic comes from the Greek word “narkotikos,” which means “to make numb,” and is the name of the group of drugs that includes opium and its derivatives. These drugs can cause serious health problems such as collapsed veins, skin abscesses and massive scarring (when injected), torturous withdrawal, and even death. But opium and its derivatives - heroin, China white, morphine, Ox圜ontin and codeine - are also extremely addictive drugs, with potentially hazardous side effects. When used for medical purposes, narcotics are extremely powerful and effective painkillers. ![]() Those who wander into the realm of opium-derived drugs outside of Oz, however, are likely to face demons much more dangerous than sleepiness and the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy and Toto slipped into a deep sleep when they traipsed through a field of red poppies in the Wizard of Oz.
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