Withdrawal symptoms that occur when you stop using an addictive substance — whether it is alcohol, a prescription medication or an illicit drug — can range from being uncomfortable to excruciatingly painful and debilitating, or even deadly. Benzodiazepines, or benzos, are a category of drugs that can lead to particularly troublesome and potentially serious symptoms …
When you think about addiction or substance abuse, you may forget about commonly abused prescription drugs. After all, people abuse not just marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and other illicit drugs. Millions of people also abuse prescription medicines throughout the world. It is important to know that prescription drug addiction treatment is available List of Commonly Abused …
The opioid epidemic of 2019 experienced also saw a significant number of overdoses. Overdose rates have increased dramatically over the past several years, with about 130 people dying each day from an opioid overdose. Since opioids can cause physical addictions, meaning that you can deal with troubling and painful withdrawal symptoms if you abruptly stop …
Can you imagine the world without antibiotics? It is not an exaggeration to say that the development of penicillin changed the course of history. Drugs and vaccines have made it possible to treat intractable diseases and even eradicate some of the most devastating diseases. Then there are pain medications. One of the earliest pharmaceutical grade …
Opiates and opioids — we’ve used and heard these terms used interchangeably, but are they the same? If not, what is the difference between opiate and opioid drugs? With all the many news reports about the opioid crisis, you may have wondered which drugs or medicines these were. It’s important to have an understanding of …
What is the Difference Between Opiate and Opioid Drugs? Read More »
If you have been prescribed pain medication, then it may be an opiate or opioid medication. The difference between the two is subtle, and often doctors use the terms synonymously. Yet, there are some important differences. Let’s take a look at the definition of opiate. What is the Opiates Definition? We define opiates as a …
People use the terms interchangeably. However, chemically, there’s a difference when talking about opiates vs opioids. What are these drugs? How do they affect you? Opiates vs Opioids Natural derivatives from the poppy plant are opiates. They include opium, codeine, and morphine. They’re narcotics that have pain-reducing properties. In contrast, opioids are manmade narcotics. They …
In 2014, there were an estimated 4,022 morphine-related deaths. Approximately 1,090 of these cases involved mixing morphine with either heroin or oxycodone. What Is Morphine? Morphine is potent pain reliever used legally in the clinical setting, most notably in people with terminal cancer. Morphine is an opioid agonist. This means it blocks pain signals to …
Of the 63,600 drug overdose deaths reported in 2016, 42,249 were attributed to opioids. The effects on the brain of the two most commonly prescribed prescription opioids (hydrocodone and oxycodone) are virtually indistinguishable from those of heroin. The addictive nature of prescription opioids is partially responsible for the current prescription drug crisis and the huge underground market …
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End the Stigma Associated with Addiction An integral component of combating the opioid drug epidemic is ending the stigma. Far too many people are embarrassed or afraid to seek help because of the stigma still attached to drug abuse. Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, …
How to Take Action: Getting Involved to Help Stop the Opioid Epidemic Read More »