HUS 211 Substance Abuse
Andrew Costa
Professor Myles
HUS 211 Substance Abuse
3/12/15
Opioids Outline
Intro- Opium- from the Greek word opos, meaning juice or sap, was originally chewed, eaten, or blended into various liquids and swallowed. (Inaba 4-7) It was cultivated in The Mediterranean, and Southwest Asia. Dating all the way back to the 206 B.C., Opium was a major product traded on the Silk Road. This classification of drugs is used primarily to treat pain, diarrhea, and cough. They are known to bring on a sense of euphoria, lower one’s sense of emotional stress or fatigue, and in some instances, suppress opioid withdrawal symptoms. Methods of use are oral injection, smoking, injection, and snorting. Short term effects of use of these drugs can be drowsiness,
slowed breathing, constipation, unconsciousness, nausea, and in some instances, coma. Long term effects can result in serious addiction and dependence on the drug. The user’s body will eventually adapt to the drug and go through withdrawal if the drug is not present. These withdrawal symptoms include muscle and bone ache and pain, insomnia, restlessness, diarrhea, vomiting, and even cold flashes, or the chills. Tolerance of the drug is built up speedily, resulting in the user to seek a higher dose virtually each time he or she uses.
Body- Opiates (opium poppy extract) – Opium, Diluted Opium, Morphine, Codeine, and Thebaine, are all Opiates. I will give a background of each drug in the section, including trade names and street names.
Body- Semisynthetic Opiates – Diacetylmorphine, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone. Another summary of the above drugs will be given, similar to that of the first body paragraph.
Body- Synthetic Opiates – (Opioids) Buprenorphine, Butorphanol, Fentanyl, Levomethadyl acetate, Levorphanol, Merperidine, Methadone, Oxymorphone, Pentazocine, and Tramadol. As in the first two bodies, I will cover these in depth too. Everything from trade and street names, to why these drugs are classified as Opioids.
Body- Opioid Antagonists – Naloxone and Naltrexone. These antagonists are essential to our society in treating overdose by countless users, nationwide. Names will be covered along with a descriptive background about how these antagonists work and just how many lives they have saved.
Conclusion- In my opinion, Opium is just another drug, administered to individuals who truly need its medicinal powers. If used correctly and not abused, like they commonly are, Opiates and Opioids can prove beneficial in one’s life. They do lead to addiction if used for long periods of time, also known as drug abuse. If used sparingly when actually necessary, it can and should be a positive thing. With that said, that isn’t the case here in America. Thousands overdose on Opiates and Opioids every year. The physical and emotional toll the drug takes on a long term user is overwhelming. Withdrawal symptoms so strong, some users have said they would rather die or kill themselves, then go through such agony. The price you pay when you abuse drugs. Wrapping up this short conclusion, If used in the right dose and treated with responsibility, Opium and derivatives of the poppy plant should and will go on to be used for many years to come.
Professor Myles
HUS 211 Substance Abuse
3/12/15
Opioids Outline
Intro- Opium- from the Greek word opos, meaning juice or sap, was originally chewed, eaten, or blended into various liquids and swallowed. (Inaba 4-7) It was cultivated in The Mediterranean, and Southwest Asia. Dating all the way back to the 206 B.C., Opium was a major product traded on the Silk Road. This classification of drugs is used primarily to treat pain, diarrhea, and cough. They are known to bring on a sense of euphoria, lower one’s sense of emotional stress or fatigue, and in some instances, suppress opioid withdrawal symptoms. Methods of use are oral injection, smoking, injection, and snorting. Short term effects of use of these drugs can be drowsiness,
slowed breathing, constipation, unconsciousness, nausea, and in some instances, coma. Long term effects can result in serious addiction and dependence on the drug. The user’s body will eventually adapt to the drug and go through withdrawal if the drug is not present. These withdrawal symptoms include muscle and bone ache and pain, insomnia, restlessness, diarrhea, vomiting, and even cold flashes, or the chills. Tolerance of the drug is built up speedily, resulting in the user to seek a higher dose virtually each time he or she uses.
Body- Opiates (opium poppy extract) – Opium, Diluted Opium, Morphine, Codeine, and Thebaine, are all Opiates. I will give a background of each drug in the section, including trade names and street names.
Body- Semisynthetic Opiates – Diacetylmorphine, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone. Another summary of the above drugs will be given, similar to that of the first body paragraph.
Body- Synthetic Opiates – (Opioids) Buprenorphine, Butorphanol, Fentanyl, Levomethadyl acetate, Levorphanol, Merperidine, Methadone, Oxymorphone, Pentazocine, and Tramadol. As in the first two bodies, I will cover these in depth too. Everything from trade and street names, to why these drugs are classified as Opioids.
Body- Opioid Antagonists – Naloxone and Naltrexone. These antagonists are essential to our society in treating overdose by countless users, nationwide. Names will be covered along with a descriptive background about how these antagonists work and just how many lives they have saved.
Conclusion- In my opinion, Opium is just another drug, administered to individuals who truly need its medicinal powers. If used correctly and not abused, like they commonly are, Opiates and Opioids can prove beneficial in one’s life. They do lead to addiction if used for long periods of time, also known as drug abuse. If used sparingly when actually necessary, it can and should be a positive thing. With that said, that isn’t the case here in America. Thousands overdose on Opiates and Opioids every year. The physical and emotional toll the drug takes on a long term user is overwhelming. Withdrawal symptoms so strong, some users have said they would rather die or kill themselves, then go through such agony. The price you pay when you abuse drugs. Wrapping up this short conclusion, If used in the right dose and treated with responsibility, Opium and derivatives of the poppy plant should and will go on to be used for many years to come.