What are some of the commonly abused prescription
drugs?
Although
many prescription drugs can be abused or misused, there are three classes
of prescription drugs that are most commonly abused:
- Opioids, which
are most often prescribed to treat pain;
- CNS depressants,
which are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders;
- Stimulants, which
are prescribed to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy, attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obesity.
Opioids
What are opioids?
Opioids
are commonly prescribed because of their effective analgesic, or pain-relieving,
properties. Medications that fall within this class - sometimes referred
to as narcotics - include morphine, codeine, and related drugs. Morphine,
for example, is often used before or after surgery to alleviate severe
pain. Codeine, because it is less efficacious than morphine, is used
for milder pain. Other examples of opioids that can be prescribed to
alleviate pain include oxycodone (OxyContin), propoxyphene (Darvon),
hydrocodone (Vicodin), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid), as well as meperidine
(Demerol), which is used less often because of its side effects. In
addition to their pain-relieving properties, some of these drugs - for
example, codeine and diphenoxylate (Lomotil) - can be used to relieve
coughs and diarrhea.
Source:
Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.
National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1999.
|
How do opioids
affect
the brain and body?
Opioids
act by attaching to specific proteins called opioid receptors, which
are found in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract. When
these drugs attach to certain opioid receptors, they can block the transmission
of pain messages to the brain. In addition, opioids can produce drowsiness,
cause constipation, and, depending upon the amount of drug taken, depress
respiration. Opioid drugs also can cause euphoria by affecting the brain
regions that mediate what we perceive as pleasure.
What are the
possible consequences
of opioid use and abuse?
Chronic
use of opioids can result in tolerance for the drugs, which means that
users must take higher doses to achieve the same initial effects. Long-term
use also can lead to physical dependence and addiction - the body adapts
to the presence of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is
reduced or stopped. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle
and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose
bumps ("cold turkey"), and involuntary leg movements. Finally, taking
a large single dose of an opioid could cause severe respiratory depression
that can lead to death. Many studies have shown, however, that properly
managed medical use of opioid analgesic drugs is safe and rarely causes
clinical addiction, defined as compulsive, often uncontrollable use
of drugs. Taken exactly as prescribed, opioids can be used to manage
pain effectively.
Is it safe to
use opioid drugs
with other medications?
Opioids
are safe to use with other drugs only under a physician's supervision.
Typically, they should not be used with other substances that depress
the central nervous system, such as alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates,
benzodiazepines, or general anesthetics, as such a combination increases
the risk of life-threatening respiratory depression.
