Narcotic Addiction Side Effects

Narcotics abuse has reached alarming proportions in recent times all over the world. Even more worrying is the fact that most of these narcotic drugs are prescribed in medical facilities for the treatment of pain. Most of them are also known to be very effective cough suppressants and therefore are incorporated in a wi....

Narcotic Addiction Symptoms

Narcotics, often known as opiates, have been widely used for a number of decades to suppress coughs and treat severe and chronic pain. In most cases, they are prescribed by medical practitioners to patients in need of relief from discomfort and pain in the short term. This is because of their ability to change the way pain recep....

Narcotic Addiction Withdrawal

Anyone who has been addicted to narcotics or any other drug is likely to undergo withdrawal at one point or another. Continued consumption of narcotics alters brain and body function - especially as far as pain relief is concerned. Over time, the body becomes used to having these drugs in the system....

What Are Narcotics?

The term narcotOneida one of the most common as far as drug abuse and addiction is concerned. It is a Greek term used to refer to stupor. Originally, it was used in reference to a wide range of substances known to dull senses as well as relieve pain. Currently, this term has been used for substances known to bind opiate receptors. There are instances where the term is used in reference to illicit substances, while in the legal context, the term refers to opium derivatives as well as its semi-synthetic substitutes.

Non-synthetic or natural narcotics are obtained from the poppy plant known to grow in various countries around the world. Natural narcotics include morphine and codeine. There are also synthetic as well as semi-synthetic narcotics produced in laboratories. Ideally, laboratories make narcotics capable of producing analgesic effects tantamount to those of morphine.

Narcotics are believed to come with significantly lower potential for addiction or abuse. Nevertheless, they still have a high addictive and abusive potential. Semi-synthetic narcotics may include buprenorphine, oxycodone, percocet, stadol, nubain, hydrocodone, heroin and opana. The synthetic types include Methadone, Demerol, Talwin, Nucynta, Fentanyl and Tramadol.

Narcotics have been used therapeutically in the treatment of pain, alleviation of diarrhea, inducing anesthesia as well as suppressing coughs. They may be administered in a number of ways including as injections, transdermally as well as orally. Narcotics also come as suppositories. When abused, narcotics may be injected, snorted or even smoked. Their effects are mainly dependent on the amount administered, the administration route, the type as well as personal history of the individual.

Apart from their use in the medical field, narcotics are known to reduce tension, aggression and anxiety as well as produce a feeling of well being. As much as these feelings are generally helpful and desirable in therapeutic settings, they are known to be the main reason why many people abuse them.

The use of narcotics comes with a number of undesirable side effects including lack of concentration, impaired physical performance, dilation of the pupils, drowsiness, respiratory depression, apathy, nausea, vomiting and dizziness. It may also result in the dilation of blood vessels which causes flushing of the neck and face. With increase in the amount taken, the subjective, toxic and pain relief effects of the drug are more pronounced. However, unlike many depressants, slurred speech or lose motor coordination do not occur unless there is acute intoxication.

While the purity and concentration of prescribed products is known, it is impossible to know the compositions of street drugs and those from illegal outlets. Common medical complications exhibited by abusers are the result of adulterants present in the street drugs as well as the non-sterile injecting. These include skin, brain and lung abscesses, hepatitis, AIDS and endocarditis inflammation.

Given there is no way of determining how pure a street drug is, the effects of illegal narcotics’ is not only be unpredictable but may have fatal results. The physical indicators of overdose of narcotics include cold clammy skin, respiratory depression, severe drowsiness, convulsions, dilated pupils as well as confusion.