What are opiates?

Opiates are used in medicine for pain relief. Because their side effects include euphoria, feelings of well-being, and enhanced self-image, they are frequently abused. They are especially seductive to individuals with poor self-esteem.

Apart from raw opium poppy resin, rarely seen in Western countries, the most common Opiates of abuse are semi- or completely synthetic, including:

• heroin (diacetylmorphine)
• morphine sulphate (Duramorph, MS Contin, Roxanol)
• meperidine (Demerol)
• hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
• oxymorphone (Numorphan)
• oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet, Percodan)
• hydrocodone (Hycodan, Vicodin)
• methadone
• codeine

Opiates derive from constituents found in the opium poppy. Morphine and codeine, traditional painkillers in medicine, are major active opiates found in processed opium sap. Semi-synthetic opioids, like oxycodone and hydrocodone, are derived from morphine and codeine compounds, and have become increasingly popular over the last decade.