Common signs of opioid addiction
Butanis, B. (2018, August 27). Signs of Opioid Abuse. Retrieved December 15, 2020, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/opioids/signs-of-opioid-abuse.html
Opioids are a class of drugs naturally found in the opium poppy plant and that work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including the relief of pain with many of these drugs. Opioids can be prescription medications often referred to as painkillers, or they can be so-called street drugs, such as heroin.
(Butanis, B. (2018, April 30). What Are Opioids? Retrieved December 15, 2020, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/opioids/what-are-opioids.html)
| Street Names | Commercial Names | Common Forms | Common Ways Taken | DEA Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Cody, Coties, Schoolboy, With soft drinks/candy: Lean, Sizzurp, Purple Drank With hypnotic sedatives: Doors & Fours, Loads, Pancakes and Syrup |
Codeine (various brand names) | Tablet, capsule, liquid | Injected, swallowed (often mixed with soda and flavorings) | II, III, V** |
| Apache, Blonde, Blue Diamond, Blue Diamond, Snowflake, Humid, Jackpot, Murder 8, Tango and Cash, TNT, White Ladies, With heroin: Birria With heroin pills: Facebook |
Fentanyl (Actiq®, Duragesic®, Sublimaze®) | Lozenge, sublingual tablet, film, buccal tablet | Injected, smoked, snorted | II** |
| Vikes, Veeks, Idiot Pills, Scratch, 357s, Lemonade, Bananas, Dones, Droco, Lorries, With valium and vodka: Triple V |
Hydrocodone or dihydrocodeinone (Vicodin®, Norco®, Zohydro®, and others) | Capsule, liquid, tablet | Swallowed, snorted, injected | II** |
| D, Dillies, K4, Needle Candy, | Hydromorphone (Dilaudid®) | Liquid, suppository | Injected, rectal | II** |
| Demmies, Pain Killer | Meperidine (Demerol®) | Tablet, liquid | Swallowed, snorted, injected | II** |
| Amidone, Biscuits, Fizzies , Jungle Juice, Maria, Wafer With MDMA: Chocolate Chip Cookies |
Methadone (Dolophine®, Methadose®) | Tablet, dispersible tablet, liquid | Swallowed, injected | II** |
| Dreamer, First Line, Joy Juice, Morpho, Miss Emma, Monkey, White Stuff, Mister Blue, Unkie | Morphine (Duramorph®, MS Contin®) | Tablet, liquid, capsule, suppository | Injected, swallowed, smoked | II, III** |
| 30s, 40s, 512s, Oxy, Beans, Blues, Buttons, Cotton, Kickers, Killers, Percs, Roxy | Oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percodan®, Percocet®, and others) | Capsule, liquid, tablet | Swallowed, snorted, injected | II** |
| Biscuits, Blue Heaven, Blues, Mrs. O, O Bomb, Octagons, Stop Signs | Oxymorphone (Opana®) | Tablet | Swallowed, snorted, injected | II** |
**Drugs are classified into five distinct categories or schedules "depending upon the drug’s acceptable medical use and the drug’s abuse or dependency potential." More information and the most up-to-date scheduling information can be found on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, November 30). Commonly Used Drugs Charts. Retrieved December 17, 2020, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/commonly-used-drugs-charts
In the short term, opioids can relieve pain and make people feel relaxed and happy. However, opioids can also have harmful effects, including:
Opioid misuse can cause slowed breathing, which can cause hypoxia, a condition that results when too little oxygen reaches the brain. Hypoxia can have short- and long-term psychological and neurological effects, including coma, permanent brain damage, or death. Researchers are also investigating the long-term effects of opioid addiction on the brain, including whether damage can be reversed.
Older adults are at higher risk of accidental misuse or abuse because they typically have multiple prescriptions and chronic diseases, increasing the risk of drug-drug and drug-disease interactions, as well as a slowed metabolism that affects the breakdown of drugs. Sharing drug injection equipment and having impaired judgment from drug use can increase the risk of contracting infectious diseases such as HIV and from unprotected sex.
NIDA. "Prescription Opioids DrugFacts." National Institute on Drug Abuse, 27 May. 2020, https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/prescription-opioids Accessed 7 Jan. 2021.