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Addiction Archive
Articles
Treating opiate addiction, Part I: Detoxification and maintenance
Dozens of opiates and related drugs (sometimes called opioids) have been extracted from the seeds of the opium poppy or synthesized in laboratories. The poppy seed contains morphine and codeine, among other drugs. Synthetic derivatives include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percodan, OxyContin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and heroin (diacetylmorphine). Some synthetic opiates or opioids with a different chemical structure but similar effects on the body and brain are propoxyphene (Darvon), meperidine (Demerol), and methadone. Physicians use many of these drugs to treat pain.
Opiates suppress pain, reduce anxiety, and at sufficiently high doses produce euphoria. Most can be taken by mouth, smoked, or snorted, although addicts often prefer intravenous injection, which gives the strongest, quickest pleasure. The use of intravenous needles can lead to infectious disease, and an overdose, especially taken intravenously, often causes respiratory arrest and death.
Understanding the language of addiction
People allude to addiction in everyday conversation, casually referring to themselves as "chocolate addicts" or "workaholics." But addiction is not a term clinicians take lightly. Addiction is defined as a condition characterized by the loss of control over the use of a psychoactive drug or the participation in an activity, such as gambling. People with an addiction also crave their activity and continue to pursue it even though they experience adverse consequences as a result of doing so.
There are a few key terms surrounding addiction that people tend to use interchangeably. The words tolerance, physical dependence, and withdrawal can sometimes be confused with each other. These terms are related but not interchangeable.
Undoing the harm: Tapering down from high-dose opioids
The CDC’s Guideline on Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain helps doctors and patients manage treatment at safe levels and avoid dependence. Any plan to taper medication dosage should be personalized to the patient’s needs.
Do hangovers damage the brain?
Ask the doctor
Q. With the holidays coming, I may be tempted to drink more than usual — maybe enough to have a hangover the next morning. I'm wondering if a hangover could actually damage my brain.
A. There have been a few scientific studies of that question. Recently, a team of scientists examined those existing studies, involving over 1,100 people, and came to some tentative conclusions, published online August 25 by the journal Addiction.
Recent Blog Articles
Harvard Health Ad Watch: Got side effects? There's a medicine for that
Packing your hurricane go bag? Make provisions for your health
Does your child need to bathe every day?
Evoking calm: Practicing mindfulness in daily life helps
How well do you worry about your health?
Do parasocial relationships fill a loneliness gap?
Feel like you should be drinking less? Start here
How to help your preschooler sleep alone
Is the portfolio diet the best diet ever?
Which skin creams are most effective for eczema?
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