Opiates are a group of drugs that are usually derived from the plant P. somniferum, along with many other similar chemicals. Opioids, or synthetic opiates, are often created as pain medicines such as vicodin or oxycontin. All opiates are powerful analgesics and have been used as painkillers for centuries. In addition to their powerful numbing properties, opiates are always at high risk for abuse and are extremely habit forming. Withdrawal from opiate addiction is known as perhaps one of the most painful things a drug addict can experience, and if the user stops abusing a powerful opiate such as heroin abruptly, death can occur.

Short-Term Effects of Opiate Usage

After taking an opiate, a sense of euphoria often enters the mind of the user. When opiates are injected directly into the bloodstream, the high can be felt within seconds. It is not uncommon for a heroin user to vomit after using the drug due to the sudden rush felt. While under the influence, opiate users are usually not very receptive to the world around them and completely pain free.

Opiate users, especially heroin, opium, and morphine addicts, often feel very apathetic to anything taking place around them as long as they have the drug in their system. Opiate addicts will sometimes do anything to attain a high and avoid withdrawal symptoms, which is problematic in itself because tolerance to opiates builds extremely quickly.

Opiate Withdrawal

Four to six hours after an opiate has last been used, users will begin to experience minor withdrawal symptoms, usually in the form of discomfort and extreme desire to get high. If no opiates are introduced the user, more extremely painful withdrawal symptoms can occur after a short period of time. Pain in the muscles and joints will begin to make itself present. Nausea will often set in and cause vomiting, and depending on the nature of the addiction, a user may become extremely constipated or have severe diarrhea. Cold sweats and hot flashes are not uncommon, making the withdrawal even more unbearable. If an opiate addict does not introduce drugs into their system after twelve hours, the withdrawal will become even more painful and possibly deadly.

Withdrawal from opiates can last for several days, and after three days the extent of the withdrawal on the human body is simply dehabilitating. Users will often vomit and gag excessively, resulting in a massive loss of body weight. Body temperature will raise, and violent muscles twitches in the legs of opiate addicts have led to the use of the term "kicking the habit".

Although opiates have value in the medical world as powerful narcotic painkillers, abuse of prescription drugs similar in chemical structure to opiates such as heroin has caused alarm in recent years, especially with the introduction of oxycontin. Efforts have been made in the pharmaceutical practice to remove the addictive qualities of opiates, but little if any progress has been made so far. One other cause for alarm is heroin which has been cut with synthetic opiates such as those found in various prescription drugs. Heroin cut with synthetic opiates is often so powerful that users overdose and die after on injection. Overdoses from opiates are often characterized by shallow breathing, clammy skin, and coma leading to death. It is better to be safe than sorry with opiates, even prescriptions, and to never abuse them under any circumstances as the risk of addiction and overdose far outweighs the high that opiates can provide.