special subjects
Opioids
Introduction
Opioids, a class of drugs derived from the opium poppy (including synthetic variations), are pain relievers with a high potential for misuse. Opioids are used to relieve pain, but they also cause an exaggerated sense of well-being and, if used too much, dependence and addiction. Taking too much of an opioid can be fatal, usually because breathing stops. Urine tests can be done to check for opioids. Treatment strategies include detoxification (stopping the drug), substitution (substituting another drug and gradually reducing its dose), and maintenance (substituting another drug that is taken indefinitely). Ongoing counseling and support are essential in all treatment strategies. "Opioid" is a term for a number of substances derived from the opium poppy and their synthetic and semisynthetic variations. Opioids have a legitimate medical use as powerful Opioid Pain Relievers . They include is relatively common, because these drugs are widely available and cause an exaggerated sense of well-being. People can become dependent on any opioid. (See also Overview of Substance-Related Disorders .) Serious dependence and addiction rarely occur when people use opioids to treat a brief episode of severe pain (for example, from a burn or broken bone). Although many people who use opioids to relieve pain for more than several days feel some mild symptoms of opioid withdrawal when they stop, people who take opioids for a long time to treat chronic pain are at increased risk of developing a Substance Use Disorders . Tolerancecan develop after a few days of continued opioid use. That is, people need more and more of a drug to feel the effects originally produced by a smaller amount. People may become more tolerant to some effects than to others. Although people with a substance use disorder often have tolerance to a drug, having tolerance by itself does not mean that a person has a substance use disorder. Taking opioids for a brief time to relieve the pain of an immediate injury, if supervised by a doctor, rarely leads to addiction. Taking opioids during pregnancy can cause addiction in the fetus and withdrawal symptoms in the newborn. 