Cj436 Week 1 Research Paper

9/21/2014
Elizabeth Vaught
Week 1 Graded writing 2
CJ436
ITT-TECH
Instructor: Jay Castonguay
Comparisons of Opium, Opiates, and Heroin
List the names of the common derivatives of opium.
Morphine
Codeine
ThebaineDiscuss the differences between opium, opiates, and synthetic opiates.
All of these are considered a narcotic; opium is harvested straight from the opium poppy in the form of a sticky tar like substance.
Opium produces an analgesic and euphoric effect on the patient taking the drug. Opiates are a derivative of the pure opium drug, so in other words they are what you get when you change the chemical structure of the pure opium.
Opiates include morphine, codeine, thebaine, heroin, and of course opium. This is where
we get heroin from too, heroin is a derivative of the drug morphine, and morphine is a derivative of opium.
Whereas, synthetic opium is not opium or even a derivative of it, however it has been designed to “mock” the effects of opium. These have been said to have been manufactured so that the user can still receive the same effect of the opium and opiates without the risk of addiction or abuse of the drug.CITATION Lev08 \l 1033 (Levinthal, 2008)
Compare the effects of opium derivatives with those of heroin.
Heroin is highly addictive and heavily abused as well as being illegal. Heroin causes a sudden release of histamine into the body that causes intense body itching and reddening of the eyes. Pinpoint pupils are caused by pupillary constriction. Heroin works on the medulla to suppress respiration. This drug will affect the blood pressure of the user along with long term constipation.
The effects of Dilaudid range from pleasure to nausea. Dilaudid inhibits the ascending pain pathways in the central nervous system, increases the pain threshold and alters pain perception CITATION Dil13 \l 1033 (Dilaudid Effects, 2013). Dilaudid is considered a narcotic pain reliever or an opioid analgesic. It will cause dependency, suppressed respiration and blood pressure as well as drowsiness. A dependency on this drug can start in as little as two weeks.
Numorphan is a narcotic pain reliever.
It works in the brain and nervous system to reduce pain. It may also affect other body systems (eg, respiratory, circulatory) at higher doses. Side effects are the same as the other drugs; however this one also includes ureteral spasms. CITATION Num14 \l 1033 (Numorphan, 2014)Percocet is used to relieve moderate to severe pain. This drug is a combination of acetaminophen and oxycodone, combined the drug effect is boosted for adequate pain relief. The effects of this drug are the same as all of the other pain medicines with the exception of confusion, light headedness, seizures, blurred vision and dry mouth CITATION Per14 \l 1033 (Percocet,
2014).
Vicodin is also used as a pain reliever used to relieve moderate to severe pain. Vicodin contains acetaminophen and hydrocodone, these are both pain relievers. Some effects of Vicodin are headaches, drowsiness, constipation, dry mouth, and blurred vision. This drug and all of the others can cause respiratory distress or failure along with heart palpitations and dependency issues CITATION Vic14 \l 1033 (Vicodin, 2014).
Describe the effects of heroin withdrawal and the effectiveness of the three medical methods of heroin cessation.
The effects of heroin withdrawal can last as long as six months after the withdrawal period is over. The user will have an intense need for their next fix that usually starts four to six hours after the last dose, this effect will continue to increase peaking around thirty six to seventy two hours into the detox.
The user will probably have mild physiological disturbances such as elevated blood pressure and heart rate. The withdrawal period and the severity of the withdrawal depends on the dosages that have been taken, reasonably if the user is using a high does to achieve their high then the withdrawal will be more intense.
The three treatments available for heroin addiction are detox, methadone maintenance, and alternative maintenance programs that use LAAM, and buprenorphine.
Detoxification can be a very brutal way for the user to come off of heroin if using the “cold turkey” method. The medical community has found that if under a physician’s care the user can be given methadone to replace the heroin and gradually reduce the dose over time. Methadone maintenance is a supervised dispersal program that lasts over a long period of time. This type of treatment is helpful for those who stick with the program however; methadone is often times easily found on the streets. Methadone will block the yearning for heroin but is not as affective in blocking out the simple cravings for the drug. Alternative maintenance programs like LAAM are available in a three times a week dosage system and buprenorphine can be prescribed by a physician which does not require to be dispensed at a clinic (Levinthal,
2008).
Works Cited BIBLIOGRAPHY Dilaudid Effects. (2013). Retrieved 09 18, 2014, from DilaudidAddiction.com: http://www.dilaudidaddiction.com/effects.htm
Levinthal, C. F. (2008). Narcotics: Opium, Heroin, and Synthetic Opiates. In Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice (pp. 114-139). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Levinthal, C.F. (2008). Narcotics: Opium, Heroin, and Synthetic Opiates. In Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice (pp 130-132). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Numorphan. (2014, 09 03). Retrieved 09 18, 2014, from Drugs.com: http://www.drugs.com/cdi/numorphan.html
Percocet. (2014, 03 19). Retrieved 09 18, 2014, from Drugs.com: http://www.drugs.com/percocet.html
Vicodin. (2014, 07 21). Retrieved 09 19, 2014, from Drugs.com: http://www.drugs.com/vicodin.html