COMMON STREET NAMES FOR OPIATES

Opiates are also a common drug that is very over-abused among teens. Opiates are basically opium, morphine, and heroin, and some common street names for them are: "H", hard stuff, schoolboy, dollies, heroin, doogie, morphine, and codine.

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WHY OPIATES ARE USED

Some people start out using these prescribed drugs for pain relief from an illness but gradually increase the dose on their own without permisson of a doctor. Tolerance developes rapidly and people often find themselves looking for doctors to write prescriptions for them.

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WHAT OPIATES DO

Heroin and morphine are used as pain killers. However, as a user continues to abuse narcotic analgesics he or she will build a tolerance to the drug, therefore causing the effects to diminish. Heroin, a very strong narcotic depressant, completely destroys the users ability to reason. Its synthetic form, known as "designer drug" has been proven to be even more deadly and addictive because tolerance develops rapidly. If the abuser wishes to maintain the same effect, he or she will have to take steadily larger doses as the tolerance develops.

Using opiates may have the following effects:

• changes mood and behavior
• euphoria followed by apathy or discontent
• impaired judgement
• constricted pupils
• drowsiness
• slurred speech
• impaired attention or memory
• slow down of the resperatory system
• cold, moist, bluish skin
• slowed reflexes
• sluggish "rubber-like" movements
• slowed breathing
• possible vomiting

Long term effects of opiate use:

• infections of the heart lining and valves
• skin abscesses
• lung congestion
• infections can lead to hepatitis
• tetanus
• liver disease
• HIV transmission

Health risks:

• indifference
• apathy
• weight loss
• loss of sex drive

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EFFECTS OF OPIATES

Heroin users generally experience certain psychological effects immediately after injection. These include a feeling of euphoria: relief from withdrawal symptoms; or relief from pain. Physical effects, if they are evident at all, typically will begin after 15-30 minutes. With new users, the physical effects include: nodding off, poor motor coordination, depressed reflexes, and slow breathing.

If a user is addicted to opiates he or she will suffer withdrawal symptoms if they don't receive another dose, or "fix", before the drug is completely out of their system. Withdrawal effects can be chills, aches of the muscles and joints, nausea and insomnia. These symptoms normally start 4-6 hours after the last dosage of the drug. The withdrawal signs and symptoms intensify from 14-24 hours following the injection, and may be accompanied by gooseflesh, slight tremors, loss of appetite and dilation of the pupils. Approximately 24-36 hours since the last "fix", the addict experiences insomnia, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, depression, and hot & cold flashes. Withdrawal signs and symptoms generally reach their peak twitching. This twitching, especially of the legs, is referred to in the expression "kicking the habit". The addict is very nauseated at this time, and may gag and vomit repeatedly, and may lose 10-15 pounds within 24 hours. Signs of an overdose of narcotic analgesics are depress respiration, slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, possible coma, and death.

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