Opioid Treatment Center in Lancaster

There is a vast range of illicit and prescription opioid drugs. The majority of them have medical uses, and all of them have the potential for addiction. If you use them exactly as directed by your physician, there’s no cause for concern. However, if you’re taking them in higher quantities or more frequently than your prescription states, you’re abusing them and putting yourself at significant risk of developing an opiate use disorder. For anyone who obtains these drugs illegally, the likelihood of addiction is even higher.

Opium

Smoking opium was the original form of opiate abuse. The drug was naturally derived from the poppy, which contains the naturally occurring opiate alkaloids that are extracted and synthesized for the narcotics and medications we use today.

Morphine (Kadian, MS Contin)

Morphine is a painkiller for chronic and acute pain management, and it’s also used for sedation prior to surgical procedures. Many semisynthetic and synthetic opioids are derived from morphine.

Methadone (Methadose, Dolophine)

Methadone is a longer-acting synthetic opioid prescription drug, so it’s used as replacement therapy to help people suffering from opioid addiction. It’s less frequently used as a painkiller.

Hydromorphone (Exalgo, Dilaudid)

While this powerful analgesic is highly useful in a clinical environment, it has a high potential for addiction when abused.

Oxymorphone (Opana)

This intensely strong painkiller is only used to treat severe pain. It’s usually used as a last resort when other treatments have proved to be ineffective. It’s around twice as strong as oxycodone, making it dangerously addictive when misused.

Fentanyl (Duragesic, Lazanda, Abstral, Actiq)

This strong synthetic opioid has been developed to help people with terminal and chronic pain who have become tolerant to pain treatment. Over the last decade or so, it’s become increasingly common for dealers to cut heroin with fentanyl. Many people don’t even realize they’re using it, so they can become fiercely addicted. Its extreme potency also means it can be lethal in much smaller doses than heroin.

Heroin (Diamorphine)

Diamorphine was first used in the 1800s to treat severe pain and as an anesthetic. Today, it’s prohibited in any capacity due to the incredibly high potential for it to cause addiction. It’s traded on the streets in various levels of purity.

Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab, Norco)

Hydrocodone is one of the most prescribed and abused opioids in the US.; it’s also one of the drugs most frequently involved in overdose deaths. As well as being a painkiller, it’s a cough suppressant and is present in some prescription cold medications.

Codeine

Codeine is a relatively common painkiller due to the fact it’s fairly mild in low doses. It’s less addictive than stronger opioids but still has the potential for abuse.

Oxycodone (Percocet, Roxicodone, OxyContin)

Oxycodone is a highly effective drug for the management of severe pain, but it can quickly lead to tolerance and dependence. It’s available in several forms, including in combination with aspirin and acetaminophen.

Buprenorphine (Suboxone)

This painkiller is a partial opioid agonist, meaning it doesn’t stimulate as many receptors as stronger medications. For this reason, it’s often used to help people suffering from opioid use disorder to taper off the drug they’re addicted to. It’s often combined with naloxone, which actively blocks the uptake of opioids by the opioid receptors. Although there is a small potential for abuse, it’s an effective substance for helping people in recovery.

Tramadol (Ryzolt, Ultracet)

Tramadol is less addictive than other opioids because it blocks the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. This diminishes the sense of euphoria experienced when intoxicated. However, tramadol does still have the potential for abuse.

Street Names for Opiates

There is a vast array of street names used for opioids. If you’re worried that someone you love is using them, overhearing any of the following code names out of context could be cause for concern.