Opioids aren’t all one in the same. Some are more dangerous than others. Opioid addictions can start from any source. Here are four of the most common types of opioids which can cause addiction.
Types Of Opioid Drugs To Look Out For
- Prescription Painkillers: Many people blame the current opioid epidemic on the misuse of prescription opioid drugs. Brand names like oxycontin, hydrocodone, percocet and vicodin are all powerful opioid painkillers. Opioid painkillers are made with a combination of morphine, a morphine based substance, and acetaminophen, the primary ingredient in Tylenol. Many of these drugs can quickly create a high tolerance and allow threshold for pain. Misusing the drugs once or twice can lead to devastating effects like chemical dependency, just to relieve pain.
- Synthetic Prescription Painkillers: Normal opioid painkillers don’t work for everyone. Some people are unable to metabolize morphine naturally. Therefore, even the highest strength morphine-based opioid painkiller won’t work. For such patients in need, scientists created synthetic opioids, which are significantly more potent than regular opioids. Fentanyl is perhaps the most widely known synthetic opioid because of the way it has claimed lives in the last few years. Notable celebrities and countless other people have died due to overdose as a result of consuming fentanyl. Avoiding a fentanyl prescription is easy to do when working with a doctor. Today, unfortunately, fentanyl is being manufactured illegally. Many drug dealers are cutting fentanyl into heroin, illegal painkillers, and even other medications commonly abused like benzodiazepines.
- Codeine: Codeine is an undermentioned opioid. In America, codeine, often found in cough syrups for severe bronchitis, is only available through prescription. Many other countries around the world sell codeine in normal cough drops over the counter, which has led to a different opioid epidemic. Codeine is still morphine and can be abused. Though codeine is not often associated with overdose death, it can happen. More importantly, misuse of codeine can lead to misuse of other opioid substances which can be fatal.
- Heroin: Heroin is the name of the street drug made from the opium poppy plant. Rarely pure, gauging the potency of heroin purchased from drug dealers is hard to do, especially now that synthetic opioids like Fentanyl are such a risk. Sold in powder form, heroin is typically smoked or injected intravenously. On average, it takes no more than three attempts at heroin use to create a tolerance and the beginning of dependency.
Lakehouse Recovery Center offers premier residential treatment services to men and women seeking to recover from opioid addiction. From detox to a unique twelve month aftercare program, we bring our clients to restorative health and joy in recovery. For more information, call us today at 877.762.3707.