Though the terms “opiates” and “opioids” are used interchangeably, the first generally refers to substances derived naturally from the poppy plant, and the ladder, to substances that modify the building blocks for more targeted effects.
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When used properly, and for short periods of time, prescription opioids are effective. For moderate to severe pain relief, physician-prescribed opioids come in a variety of forms: Oxycodone (OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and oxymorphone (Opana), codeine (generally in liquid form), morphine (liquid and capsule) and fentanyl (a highly potent synthetic) are widely prescribed to treat pain, and some gastrointestinal issues.
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But there is wide room for misuse.
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Use in any way other than prescribed — using another’s prescription, using with other substances, use for euphoric effect, pill hoarding — creates danger for overdose and addiction.
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According to a 2013 and 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 50.5 percent of people who misused prescription painkillers obtained them from a friend or relative, and 22 percent for free. About 22 percent obtain them from a physician.
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Older adults have a high risk for accidental misuse, often associated with multiple prescriptions and poor health.
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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the average age for first-time prescription painkiller use is 21.2.
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Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are often used by anesthesiologists, and has been called a wonder drug for cancer patients.
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MATs
Medically Assisted Treatments (MAT), also synthetic, are prescribed to combat the effects of withdrawal, and have become widely used as an anchor in response to the opioid crisis.
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Methadone, a synthetic opioid used to lessen the painful cravings of opioid withdrawal, is commonly prescribed to recovering users. It does account for a small portion of opioid overdoses each year.
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Buprenorphine works and is prescribed similarly and has been approved by the FDA in products like Suboxone for transmucosal or sublingual products to be used in combating addiction. Here too, there is potential for misuse especially if taken with alcohol or intravenously.
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Naloxone and Narcan, which are considered agitators, eliminate the effects of opioid drugs by breaking the receptors grasp. Naloxone is available, for about $150, throughout Missouri. Narcan is the version carried by a majority of paramedics and EMTs. Users can be brought back by even extreme overdose, if an agitator is administered soon enough.
