A type of painkiller, opioid drugs interfere with normal brain activity, causing a reduction in pain. People require prescriptions to obtain opioids, though many of them have restrictions. For example, Kristi Monson, PharmD, and Arthur Schoenstadt, MD, authors of the eMedTV article "Oxycodone vs. Hydrocodone," point out that patients cannot get refills for oxycodone, a type of opioid drug, and need their doctors to write a new prescription. While some people take opioid drugs for medical purposes, other people abuse them. MedlinePlus adds that 9 percent of the population possibly abuses opioid drugs.
Mechanism
When people use an opioid drug, the medication binds to specific receptors in the brain called opiate receptors. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research explains that when opioid drugs bind to these receptors, they act like naturally occurring opioids in the brain, such as endorphins. As a result, the medications cause a reduction in pain, as well as a euphoric feeling.
Types of Opioids
The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that opioid drugs include those produced for pharmaceutical purposes and those for recreational purposes. For example, opium and heroin are street opioid drugs. Other opioid drugs, such as codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, paregoric, sufentanil and tramadol, have medical purposes. However, people do uses these medications to get high as well.
Drug Interactions
While people are using an opioid drug, they cannot take certain medications at the same time. Examples include benzodiazepines, antihistamines, barbiturates and general anesthetics. Combining an opioid drug with alcohol can also cause problems. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains that combining an opioid drug with a medication that decreases activity in the central nervous system can increase the risk of serious respiratory depression.
Opioid Addition
People who take an opioid drug for recreational purposes can develop an addition. The American Academy of Family Physicians points out that addiction can occur even in people who take an opioid drug from medical purposes if they use more of the drug than recommended by their doctors. When people develop an addiction, they have cravings for the drug, which drives them to use more.
Withdrawal
All types of opioid drugs can cause withdrawal if a person stops using or decreases how much of the drug they use. Withdrawal occurs when people develop a physical dependence to the drug, and their bodies become used to the effects of the drug. MedlinePlus explains that people can have early withdrawal symptoms and late withdrawal symptoms as more time passes from the last usage. For example, early symptoms include insomnia, runny nose, agitation, yawning, anxiety, sweating, muscle aches and increased tearing. When people experience the late symptoms of withdrawal, they have goosebumps, abdominal cramping, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and dilated pupils.
References
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Research Report Series -- Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Opioid Addiction
- Canadian Institutes on Health Research: The Brain From Top to Bottom
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Opiate Withdrawal
- eMedTV: Oxycodone and Hydrocodone
