| Medical Dictionary |
A Medical Dictionary of Medical Terminology
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Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are a type of drug. They include strong prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and tramadol. The illegal drug heroin is also an opioid.
A health care provider may give you a prescription opioid to reduce pain after you have had a major injury or surgery. You may get them if you have severe pain from health conditions like cancer. Some providers prescribe them for chronic pain.
Prescription opioids used for pain relief are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by your provider. However, people who take opioids are at risk for opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose. These risks increase when these medicines are misused. Misuse can include taking more than your prescribed dose or taking it more often, using it to get high, or taking someone else's opioids.
What is an opioid overdose?Opioids affect the part of the brain that regulates breathing. When people take high doses of opioids, it can lead to an overdose, with the slowing or stopping of breathing and sometimes death.
What causes an opioid overdose?An opioid overdose can happen for a variety of reasons, including if you:
There is also a risk of overdose if you are getting medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). MOUD is a treatment for OUD. Many of the medicines used for MOUD are also controlled substances that can be misused.
Who is at risk of an opioid overdose?Anyone who takes an opioid can be at risk of an overdose, but you are at higher risk if you:
The signs of an opioid overdose include:
If you think someone is having an opioid overdose:
Naloxone won't harm someone if they're overdosing on drugs other than opioids, so it's best to use it if you think someone is overdosing.
Can an opioid overdose be prevented?If you are taking opioid pain medicine, there are steps you can take to help prevent an opioid overdose:
It is also important to teach your family and friends how to respond to an overdose. If you are at higher risk of an overdose, you will want get naloxone and carry it with you wherever you go. You can buy naloxone at a pharmacy.
Heroin is an illegal, very addictive opioid drug. It's made from morphine, which comes from the seedpod of opium poppy plants. These plants grow in Southeast and Southwest Asia, Mexico, and Colombia. Heroin can be a white or brown powder, or a black sticky substance known as black tar heroin.
How do people use heroin?People inject, sniff, snort, or smoke heroin. Some people mix heroin with crack cocaine, which is called "speedballing." All these ways of taking heroin send it to the brain very quickly, which makes it highly addictive.
What are the short-term effects of heroin?People who use heroin report feeling a "rush" (a surge of pleasure). And then they may feel other effects, such as a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the arms and legs. They may also have severe itching, nausea, and vomiting. After these first effects, they will usually be drowsy for several hours, and their breathing will slow down.
What are the long-term effects of heroin?People who use heroin over the long term may develop many different health problems. These problems could include liver, kidney, and lung disease, mental disorders, and abscesses.
People who inject the drug also risk getting infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, and bacterial infections of the skin, bloodstream, and heart (endocarditis). They can also get collapsed veins. When a vein collapses, the blood cannot flow through it.
Repeated use of heroin can lead to tolerance. This means users need more and more of the drug to have the same effect. At higher doses over time, the body becomes dependent on heroin. If someone who is dependent on heroin stops using it, they have withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and cold flashes with goose bumps.
Repeated use of heroin often leads to heroin use disorder, sometimes called addiction. This is more than physical dependence. It's a chronic (long-lasting) brain disorder. When someone has it, they continue to use heroin even though it causes problems in their life. Some examples include health problems and not being able to meet responsibilities at work, school, or home. Getting and using heroin becomes their main purpose in life.
Can a person overdose on heroin?It's possible to overdose on heroin. This happens when a person uses so much heroin that it causes a life-threatening reaction or death. All heroin users are at risk of an overdose because they never know the actual strength of the drug they are taking or what may have been added to it. And people often use heroin along with other drugs or alcohol. This can increase the risk of an overdose.
When people overdose on heroin, their heart rate and breathing slow down. Their breathing may slow do so much that not enough oxygen reaches the brain. This condition is called hypoxia. Hypoxia can lead to a coma, permanent brain damage, or death.
How can a heroin overdose be treated?A medicine called naloxone can treat a heroin (or other opioid) overdose if it is given in time. It works by blocking the effects of the opioid on the body. Sometimes more than one dose of the medicine is needed.
There are two forms of naloxone that anyone can use without medical training: nasal spray and injectable. People at risk of an overdose are encouraged to carry naloxone with them. They can buy naloxone at a pharmacy.
What are the treatments for heroin use disorder?Treatments for heroin use disorder include medicines to treat withdrawal symptoms, medicine to block the effects of opioids, and behavioral treatments. Often, a combination of medicine and behavioral treatment works best. People getting treatment for heroin use disorder should work with their health care providers to come up with a treatment plan that fits their needs.
NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are a type of drug. They include strong prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and tramadol. The illegal drug heroin is also an opioid.
A health care provider may give you a prescription opioid to reduce pain after you have had a major injury or surgery. You may get them if you have severe pain from health conditions like cancer. Some health care providers prescribe them for chronic pain.
Prescription opioids used for pain relief are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by your provider. However, opioid use disorder (OUD) is still a possible risk.
What is opioid use disorder (OUD)?Opioid use disorder (OUD) means that you have a problematic pattern of using opioids. The pattern causes a lot of distress and impairment (meaning that it causes problems in and interferes with your daily life). Instead of OUD, sometimes people use the terms "opioid dependence" and "opioid addiction." Dependence means feeling withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. Addiction is a chronic brain disease that causes a person to compulsively seek out drugs, even though they cause harm.
What are the treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD)?Treatments for OUD include:
The medicines used in MOUD are methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone:
Methadone, buprenorphine, and lofexidine, which can decrease withdrawal symptoms and cravings. They work by acting on one or another of the targets in the brain that opioids act on. But these medicines are different because they do not make you feel high. Some people worry that if they take methadone or buprenorphine, it means that they are substituting one addiction for another. But it is not; these medicines are a treatment. They restore balance to the parts of the brain affected by addiction. This allows your brain to heal while you work toward recovery.
You may safely take these medicines for months, years, or even a lifetime. If you want to stop taking them, do not do it on your own. You should contact your provider first, and together you can work out a plan for stopping.
Naltrexone works differently than methadone and buprenorphine. It does not help you with withdrawal symptoms or cravings. Instead, it takes away the high that you would normally get when you take opioids. Because of this, you would take naltrexone to prevent a relapse, not to try to get off opioids. You have to be off opioids for at least 7-10 days before you can take naltrexone. Otherwise you could have bad withdrawal symptoms.
A combination drug that includes buprenorphine and naloxone. Naloxone is a drug to treat an opioid overdose. If you take it along with buprenorphine, you will be less likely to misuse the buprenorphine.
Counseling for OUD can help you:
There are different types of counseling for OUD, including:
Counselors can also refer you to other resources that you might need, such as:
Residential programs combine housing and treatment services. You are living with your peers, and you can support each other to stay in recovery. Inpatient hospital-based programs combine health care and OUD treatment services for people with medical problems. Hospitals may also offer intensive outpatient treatment. All these types of treatments are very structured, and usually include several different kinds of counseling and behavioral therapies. They usually also include MOUD.
Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are a type of drug. They include strong prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and tramadol. The illegal drug heroin is also an opioid. Some opioids are made from the opium plant, and others are synthetic (man-made).
A health care provider may give you a prescription opioid to reduce pain after you have had a major injury or surgery. You may get them if you have severe pain from health conditions like cancer. Some providers prescribe them for chronic pain.
What are the side effects and risks of opioids?Opioids can cause side effects such as drowsiness, mental fog, nausea, and constipation. They may also cause slowed breathing, which can lead to overdose deaths. If someone has signs of an overdose, call 911. These signs may include:
When using opioids, there is also a risk of opioid use disorder (OUD).
What is opioid use disorder (OUD)?Opioid use disorder (OUD) means that you have a problematic pattern of using opioids. The pattern causes a lot of distress and impairment (meaning that it causes problems in and interferes with your daily life). Instead of OUD, sometimes people use the terms "opioid dependence" and "opioid addiction." Dependence means feeling withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. Addiction is a chronic brain disease that causes a person to compulsively seek out drugs, even though they cause harm.
The risk of OUD is higher if you misuse the medicines. Misuse can include taking more than your prescribed dose or taking it more often, using it to get high, or taking someone else's opioids.
Opioid use disorder and overdoses are serious public health problems in the United States. As more people misuse opioids, more women are misusing opioids during pregnancy. This can lead to health risks for the mother and baby. The baby may be born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS is a group of withdrawal symptoms that a baby has after being exposed to drugs during pregnancy.
Another problem with increased opioid misuse is that it can also lead to more heroin use. There are some people who switch from prescription opioids to heroin because heroin may be cheaper and easier to get.
How are opioid use disorder (OUD) and opioid overdose treated?There are effective medicines to treat OUD. Using medicines to treat OUD is called medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). MOUD can help you stop using the drug, get through withdrawal, and cope with cravings. It is often combined with behavioral therapy and counseling. Having support from family and friends can also help.
There is also a medicine called naloxone which can treat opioid overdoses. It can reverse the effects of the overdose and prevent death if it is given quickly.
How can I prevent problems when taking prescription opioids?To prevent problems with prescription opioids, be sure to follow your doctor's instructions when taking them. Do not share your medicines with anyone else. Contact your doctor if you have any concerns about taking the medicines.
NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are a type of drug. They include strong prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and tramadol. The illegal drug heroin is also an opioid.
A health care provider may give you a prescription opioid to reduce pain after you have had a major injury or surgery. You may get them if you have severe pain from health conditions like cancer. Some providers prescribe them for chronic pain.
Prescription opioids used for pain relief are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by your provider. However, people who take opioids are at risk for opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose. These risks increase when opioids are misused. Misuse can include taking more than your prescribed dose or taking it more often, using it to get high, or taking someone else's opioids.
How do I know if I need to take opioid medicines?First, you need to talk with your provider about whether you need to take opioids. You should discuss:
If you and your provider decide that you need to take opioids, make sure that you understand:
If you have a high risk for an overdose, you will want to get naloxone from a pharmacy and carry it with with you wherever you go. Naloxone is a medicine that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
How can I take my opioid medicine safely?You should always be careful when taking any medicine, but you need to take extra care when taking opioids:
It is important to store and dispose of opioid medicines properly: