The term "narcotic
drug" refers to drugs which act similarly to morphine. The primary medical
use of these drugs is to reduce pain. They act by stimulating receptors on
cells in the brain that are called opioid receptors.
Commonly used narcotics include heroin, morphine, codeine, oxycodone,
hydrocodone, propoxyphen, hydromorphone and methadone. When taken over time to reduce
pain or for the pleasant, drowsy, floating feeling they give, narcotics may
produce dependence or addiction. Also, if you take these drugs repeatedly you
may develop a tolerance to them. Tolerance means you need to take increasingly
higher doses of the drug to produce the same physical or mental effects.
If you are dependent on a
drug, you feel or show a need for the drug when it is stopped. If you crave the
drug, or feel distressed without it, you are said to be psychologically
dependent. If you have bodily changes when the drug is stopped, such as hot and
cold flashes and/or tremors, you are said to be physically dependent.
Personality, environment,
psychological factors (such as stress, depression, and loneliness), genetics,
the biological makeup of the individual, and the addictive qualities of
narcotic drugs are considered to be the factors that increase the likelihood of
dependence.
Besides the reduction of
pain and euphoria, the symptoms and effects of narcotic drug use may include:
Sometimes symptoms of shock
such as weakness and pale skin appear.
Your doctor will take a
thorough history and examine you. He or she may also want you to have a urine or blood drug screen.
In addition, your doctor
may test you for narcotic abuse by injecting a drug called naloxone
hydrochloride into one of your muscles and recording your body's response. If
you are using narcotics, your test will show some combination of the
characteristics of a withdrawal reaction including:
If you have taken an
overdose and have trouble breathing, you should immediately be taken to the
emergency room, where the doctor will clear your airway and keep it open with a
breathing tube. The doctor may hospitalize you. Intensive care unit treatment
may be necessary. When you're breathing normally, the doctor will give you an
injection of naloxone hydrochloride and watch you for
48 hours. Naloxone hydrochloride counteracts the
effects of a narcotic overdose. If you are overdosing, failure to seek medical
help may result in death, due to respiratory failure.
For long-term treatment,
the doctor may recommend that you enroll in a treatment program (detoxification
program). These treatment programs often use a community approach to give you a
new life among an alternative group of peers. The success of treatment depends
greatly on your motivation. Narcotics Anonymous offers outpatient treatment but
should not be substituted for initial inpatient treatment.
Staying employed or staying
in school, in addition to continuing treatment, improves your prospects for
recovery. The treatment program, depending on your particular situation, may
emphasize permanent abstinence from all narcotic drugs and other drugs of abuse,
or maintenance treatment with methadone.
If you are or have been
addicted or dependent on a substance, you have developed a tendency toward
substance abuse and dependence. You need to recognize this tendency and avoid
potentially addictive substances in the future, including tobacco and alcohol.
Follow the treatment plan
your doctor prescribes. In addition: