Drug addiction affects your brain and behavior to the point where you can't control your use of legal or illegal drugs, even when you know they cause harm.
Millions of people are addicted to, or at risk of becoming dependent on, prescription opioid painkillers, according to international research. The study found that one in three people taking prescribed opioid analgesics, which include codeine, tramadol, oxycodone and morphine, show symptoms of being dependent on them, while one in 10 become fully dependent on the drugs. The research, led by academics from the University of Bristol and published in the journal Addiction, also showed that one in e...
Many painkillers carry a risk of serious addiction if you take them for too long. How do you know if you’re addicted, and what can you do?
Prescription painkillers can be habit-forming even when used as prescribed. Learn more about 10 of the most addictive opiate pain medications and how to get help.
What are the symptoms of painkiller addiction? How does dependence differ from addiction? Learn more about narcotic abuse.
Why are they addictive? ; What are the signs of dependency? ; I’ve just had surgery and been prescribed codeine. How do I avoid dependency?
What are opioids? ; “Opioid” is the catchall term for substances that bind to a group of receptors in the central nervous system called opioid receptors. Opioids are naturally occurring or synthetic (man-made). Your brain makes its own brand of opioids, called endorphins. Plant-derived opioids, called opiates, come from the seedpod of the Asian opium poppy plant. They include opium, morphine, and codeine. Heroin is a semi-synthetic opioid. Synthetic opioids include oxycodone (OxyContin, Perc...
Some people experiment with recreational drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time, because friends are doing it, or to ease problems such as stress, anxiety, or depression. However, it’s not just illegal drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, that can lead to abuse and addiction. Prescription medications such as painkillers, sleeping pi ...
Heroin addiction, or opioid use disorder, involves changes in the brain and behavior. Sometimes heroin addiction begins when a person becomes addicted to prescribed painkillers and can’t obtain the...
“Opioid” is the proper term, but opioid drugs may also be called opiates, painkillers or narcotics. ; All opioids work similarly: They activate an area of nerve cells in the brain and body called opioid receptors that block pain signals between the brain and the body. ; Examples of opioids include morphine, heroin, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl.