Basically, Opioids are drugs which are used in the treatment of pain. They are gotten from opium which is from the poppy plant. Opiates could either be natural or modified opium components which include heroin, morphine and codeine. Originally, opioids were utilized for synthetic opiates like Fentanyl and Oxycontin.
However, it is now being used for the whole class of drugs. Narcotics happens to be an older name, and it means a drug which comes with sleep-inducing and mind-changing properties. Opioids addiction give people a euphoric feeling, which makes some people become addicted.
As earlier mentioned, opiates were meant to be used for pain treatment. However, people began to develop tolerance, thereby wanting more of the drug, in order to achieve the same effect. With time, these set of people become addicted, and they get obsessive about this act.
It could even get to a point that, they would undergo illegal activities, in order to obtain more opiates. Taking a high dose of opioids could induce death, resulting from either respiratory or cardiac arrest. The effects which opioids come with, tend to develop faster than the tolerance to the adverse effects.
Hence, people take overdose because they need a higher level of “high”, and they take too much in the process. Now, the good part is, overdose of opioids can be corrected in the hospital using intravenous naltrexone, which is a form of parenteral drug administration.
Withdrawal from opiates usage, is not an act which can be done personally. As a matter of fact, it is very uncomfortable, and it is essential to remember that opioids withdrawal does not threaten your life, if it only involves opioids. However, if it is a combination of drugs, then it could be more serious.
The common symptoms which are typical of opioid withdrawal are as follows: Runny nose, Teary eyes, Muscle aches and pains, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Yawning, Cold and Hot sweats, Goose bumps and the likes.
Withdrawing from opiate usage, and receiving treatments in the hospital is the safest way to come out clean, as the individual would be given medications such as Suboxone, Subutex and Methadone.