Author: Jamie Staggs
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 the
user stops the drug flow, uncomfortable and even dangerous
withdrawal symptoms may occur. Death from opiates usually
occurs when a user who has been off opiates for some time
resumes taking the same amount of drug that they are used
to. Because the body's tolerance has decreased during this
time off period, the resulting effect is a drug overdose.
Opiates also have long-term effects that appear after
repeated use over a long period of time. Longtime users
ignore their health, as their thoughts are consumed with
the 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
typically subside within a week.
About the Author:
Jastaplace Drug and Alcohol Rehab
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viait our website at http://www.Action-Drug-Rehab.
