Effects of Opiates (including heroin and prescription painkillers)
Examples
Heroin, Codeine, Fentanyl, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Methadone, Demerol®, Dilaudid® Methadone, Morphine, Oxycodone
Short term effects
Euphoria; pain relief, warm flushing of skin; dry mouth; heavy feeling in the hands and feet; confusion; alternate wakeful and drowsy states; itching; nausea; vomiting; slowed breathing and heart rate, death (from overdose).
Long term effects
Collapsed veins; abscesses (swollen tissue with pus); infection of the lining and valves in the heart; constipation and stomach cramps; liver or kidney disease; pneumonia.
Withdrawal
Restlessness, leg movements, flu-like symptoms including muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey")
In combination with alcohol
Increased risk for overdose and coma
Treatment
Maintenance medications – methadone, buprenorphine. Opioid blocker – naltrexone (short-acting and extended release injection). Behavioral therapy treatment (inpatient and outpatient)