Opiates vs Opioids

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Introduction

• In the late 1990s, there was a push by
  pharmaceutical companies to market painkillers
  that they insisted were not as addictive as
  opiates used previously. With this assurance, the
  medical community believed that they could
  prescribe them without fear that their patients
  would become addicted to the medications. This
  was the root of the opioid crisis, which was then
  declared a public emergency in 2017 by the
  Department of Health and Human Services. To
  better understand how we got here, we need to
  understand the difference between opiates vs
  opioids, how both naturally lead to addiction,
  and the need for an opiate addiction treatment
  center in Bend, OR.

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• Opiates vs Opioids
• Opiates are a variety of substances based on
  naturally-occurring chemicals that exist in the
  opium poppy. Opioids are synthetic painkillers
  that mimic the effects of these
  naturally-occurring chemicals. These drugs
  include prescription pain relievers, heroin, and
  synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl.
• Of these, codeine and morphine are the most
  well-known and are still prescribed by doctors
  today. These opiates are closely controlled.
  While their addictive properties were well-known,
  their medical value made them indispensable.
  While most opioids are from these opiates, there
  has been a more recent wave of synthetic and
  semi-synthetic medications that are not based on
  extracts from opium.

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• The Prevalence of Opioids
• Pharmaceutical companies used one of the most
  common opiates, Thebaine, as a roadmap for future
  development. These are known by their brand names
  Percocet and Vicodin. They were among the first
  wave of opioids that were over-prescribed in the
  early days of the epidemic.
• Chemists have also created opioids using man-made
  chemicals derived from opiates such as
  Hydrocodone and Oxycodone. Chemists consider
  these drugs to be semi-synthetic. The first of
  these drugs was the most infamous opioid ever
  created by a drug company Diacetylmorphine. The
  drugmaker Bayer called it heroin because it makes
  you feel like a hero. Similar to the modern wave
  of opioids, Bayer and other drug makers marketed
  this drug as less addictive.
• Additionally, drug companies have created
  completely synthetic variations of opioids such
  as fentanyl, methadone, and meperidine.

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• How Opioids Facilitate Addiction
• These drugs relieve pain by interacting with
  receptors in the brain that regulate pain in the
  body. However, these receptors do not only affect
  pain. They also change how we experience pleasure
  or rewarding activities as well as certain
  essential autonomic functions such as
  respiration.
• As part of natural functions, our body and brain
  create chemicals including dynorphins,
  endorphins, and enkephalins. The brain then uses
  these chemicals in order to reward us for
  activities that contribute to the well-being of
  the body. These include eating, drinking, and
  exercising. They also can be a survival mechanism
  during times of stress, pain, and distress to
  provide short-term relief.
• When used, opioids also send these chemicals
  surging through the brain. This creates unwanted
  dependence because of disruptions in the normal
  chemical process. This leads to substance abuse,
  as it takes more and more for that chemical rush.
• Unlike the chemicals created by the body, opioids
  are capable of creating dependence by creating an
  unbalanced pain/reward/relief cycle, as well as
  killing the user by ceasing respiratory
  functions. This is why its important to seek out
  high-quality substance abuse treatment programs.