Narcotics/Opiates
Opiates are often referred to as narcotics
and have been used medically to relieve pain
for centuries. In the early 19th century, pure morphine
extract was suitable for solution, and with the advent
of the hypodermic needle in the mid-19th century, injection
of morphine became a common method of pain relief. In
1898, heroin was introduced into the medical community
as a remedy for addiction to morphine. However, it was
soon revealed that heroin was even more likely to produce
addiction than morphine. While opiates
began their start in the medical community, they have
quickly become one of the most commonly abused
drug groups. Today, only codeine and morphine
are still used in the clinical setting for pain management.
The opiates drug group includes opium, morphine,
codeine and heroin, among other synthetic
opiates such as Demerol.
Short-term and Long-term Effects of Opiates
Opiates can cause serious health complications, such
as fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, and infectious
diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, particularly
in users who inject opiates.
Opiates have short-term effects that appear quite soon
after a dose and last a few hours. After injection of
opiates, the user typically reports feeling a rush of
euphoria, an increase in body temperature, dry mouth,
and a heavy feeling in their limbs. The user then spends
the next few hours alternating from a wakeful to a drowsy
state until the drug wears off.
Regular use of opiates leads to a buildup of a user's
tolerance. This means that the user must increase their
subsequent dose of opiates to achieve the same effect
as before. As the user increases their dose over time,
they develop physical dependency and addiction.
Their body has acclimated to the drug use, and has grown
to depend on the presence of drugs in order to function
properly. If an opiate user stops the intake of that
drug, uncomfortable and even dangerous withdrawal symptoms
may occur. Death from a opiate overdose often occurs
when a user who has been off opiates for some time resumes
taking the same amount of drug they are used to. Because
the body's tolerance has decreased during this time
off period, the resulting effect is a drug overdose.
After repeated opiate use over a long
period of time, long term side effects will begin to
appear. Addicts who have been using for a long period
of time often ignore their health because the only thing
that matters is getting more of that drug. This self
neglect can take the form of not eating and ignoring
personal hygiene, which makes the user more susceptible
to disease. Longtime users may develop collapsed veins,
infections in their heart and valves, and liver disease.
Because opiates depress respiration, pulmonary complications,
such as pneumonia, may occur in longtime users due to
respiratory depression and the poor health of the drug
user.
Opiate Withdrawal
Opiate withdrawal can be incredibly painful, and in
some case very dangerous. Withdrawal symptoms may occur
as soon as a few hours after the last dose in users
who have been regularly abusing opiates.
Withdrawal symptoms include intense cravings for opiates,
restlessness, body pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting,
and cold flashes among other symptoms. In longtime,
heavy users who are in poor health, withdrawal can occasionally
be fatal. Withdrawal symptoms for most users typically
subside within a week.
Information contained above is courtesy of The Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA
for more information please visit: http://www.nida.nih.gov
If you have come across our Addiction Treatment
Center web site, is because you or someone
you love is in need of help for narcotic addiction.
Cove Center for Recovery
is an Addiction Treatment Center offering
a premier drug addiction treatment program
that can help you or your loved one. Our aim is to treat
the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom.
During the addiction treatment process
we will work with the client to identify the factors
that may have contributed to their addiction–
home, work, relationships and medical history. We also
believe that families have a vital role to play in the
recovery process, and each program has a place for family
participation, to educate them in the addiction
treatment process and to equip them for their
role as supporters.
Call us at 1-888-387-6237 for further information on
our narcotic addiction treatment program.
Together, we can discuss how you may benefit from seeking
treatment at Cove Center for Recovery.
Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away.
If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate
attention you may contact us:
Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
You may also send us e-mail.
Please keep in mind that e-mails are answered within 24 hours Monday
through Friday.
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