Know What You’re Taking

Opioids are more than pain medications. They’re part of an epidemic claiming lives every day.

Prescription opioids used for pain relief are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by a doctor, but they can be misused. People misuse prescription opioids by:

• Taking the medicine in a way or dose other than prescribed

• Taking someone else's prescription medicine

• Taking the medicine for the effect it causes-to get high

When misusing a prescription opioid, a person can swallow the medicine in its normal form. Sometimes people crush pills or open capsules, dissolve the powder in water, and inject the liquid into a vein. Some also snort the powder.

Long-term use of prescription opioids, even as prescribed by a doctor, can cause some people to develop a tolerance, which means that they need higher and/or more frequent doses of the drug to get the desired effects.

Physical dependence occurs with repeated use, causing the neurons to adapt so they only function normally in the presence of the drug. The absence of the drug causes several physiological reactions, ranging from mild in the case of caffeine, to potentially life threatening, such as with heroin. Some chronic pain patients are dependent on opioids and require medical support to stop taking the drug.

Opioid use disorder is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive, or uncontrollable opioid use despite harmful consequences and long-lasting changes in the brain. The changes can result in harmful behaviors by those who misuse opioids, whether prescription or illicit drugs.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse - Prescription Opioids DrugFacts