“The Truth about PAIN KILLERS”
“Why are they so dangerous?”
- I posted this article today because I have seen so many people on strong painkillers. Personal friends, patients family friends, and even many kids. It’s really become a household addiction. Some find it very difficult to stop because of the strong (high) addiction to the substance. The only answer has been to use other painkillers and other strong drugs to “ween” someone off of them.
- I was back in Louisiana recently and saw a friend who works in the medical industry, and I asked him how life was here in that arena. He said it has been horrible for him. He spends most of his time dealing with people abusing fentanyl and other strong morphine-based drugs. Instead of helping patients move into wellness and having a better lifestyle, he is daily looking at how to save someone’s life from an overdose. Not just a typical addict, we are talking about the average American family; the mother, father, kids, and such. He said it was out of control, even for a small town. Let’s just say I was shocked. I can understand the big city, drugs are everywhere, but not a small town with the happy-go-lucky family life you see.
- It really seems to me; people are just overwhelmed with life and have no REAL hobbies besides their cell phones and games these days. The powerful drugs will give someone an OUT, a high that removes them from all thoughts about stress and commitments. In this state, they are finally free – or are they? This is truly an illusion, if there is ever a darkness on this planet, the greatest power it has over a human being is the gift of ILLUSION.
This is a long article, but it might be of great importance to some of you out there. I hope this helps.
Opiates or Opioids — What’s the difference?
This article is to clear up the difference of these powerful drugs. Many people do not know what the name difference means so I would like to clear that up for you. If you are on either of these, I highly suggest you get off of them before they destroy your mind and your body. There are too many alternatives to dealing with pain. Life is too short to live in pain in the first place, so take a step to move forward to better choices.
These drugs are for “temporary” use only! Remember, acute symptoms are what these are designed for, even if you know someone who is in intense pain daily, there are still alternatives. I will discuss these options at the end of the article.
Some people carefully distinguish between these two groups of narcotic drugs when they speak about them. Other people use the two terms interchangeably or prefer one over the other. Our language is evolving; lately many people, especially journalists and politicians, are tending to refer to all of these drugs as “opioids.”
Both opiates and opioids are used medically. They may be prescribed for pain relief, anesthesia, cough suppression, diarrhea suppression, and for treatment of opiate/opioid use disorder.
Both opiates and opioids may also be used illicitly by people with a substance use disorder.
History Lesson from the Past
The most popular painkillers were whiskey, morphine, opium and laudanum years ago. These could be purchased over the counter at any drugstore. Initially, morphine was the most common narcotic on the frontier. It was first extracted in 1804 and was the first drug derived from a natural plant. It remains one of the most powerful pain relievers because it acts directly on the central nervous system. It’s also one of the most addictive. Too large a dose can be deadly. Commercial marketing began in the 1820s. After the invention of the hypodermic needle in 1853 its use expanded.
Morphine was hard to make and difficult to obtain so its cousin opium—introduced by Chinese immigrants—became the drug of choice in the West. Prior to 1909, there were no restrictions on its import or use. It became a cure for morphine addiction, but as the prime ingredient in laudanum (along with morphine and alcohol), it was used for headaches, menstrual issues, psychological problems, and pretty much anything that ailed you. Opium dens (where the drug was smoked) operated in the Chinese sections of towns. They featured private rooms, couches, beds, and prostitutes.
The main difference is in how opiates and opioids are made.
Opiates
Opiates are chemical compounds that are extracted or refined from natural plant matter (poppy sap and fibers).
Ask any soldier who was in Iraq who helped gather the poppy plants and ship them back to the U.S.A.
A “special forces” operator was once a patient of mine and was quite disgusted when he told me, his job was to place the heroin in a dry cleaning store, so it would hide the smell from dogs when it was brought back into the U.S..
Examples of opiates:
- Opium
- Morphine
- Codeine
- Heroin
Opioids
Opioids are chemical compounds that generally are not derived from natural plant matter. Most opioids are “made in the lab” or “synthesized.”
Though a few opioid molecules — hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet) — may be partially synthesized from chemical components of opium, other popularly-used opioid molecules are designed and manufactured in laboratories. (The phrase “synthetic opioid” is considered redundant; nearly all opioids are synthesized.)
The pharmaceutical industry has created more than 500 different opioid molecules. Some are widely used medically, some are not. Examples of well-known opioids used medically in the U.S.:
- Dextromethorphan (available in the U.S. without prescription as, NyQuil, Robitussin, TheraFlu, Vicks)
- Dextropropoxyphene (Darvocet-N, Darvon)
- Loperamide (Imodium)
- Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
- Oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet)
- Oxymorphone (Opana)
- Meperidine (Demerol)
- Methadone (Dolophine)
- Fentanyl/fentanil (Ultiva, Sublimaze, Duragesic patch)
- Carfentanyl/carfentanil (Wildnil, for veterinary use)
Opiates and Opioids
Both groups of drugs are “narcotics.” (The word “narcotic” simply means sleep-inducing or numbness-inducing (from the Medieval Latin narcoticus, from the Greek narkoun “to benumb.”)
It’s most precise to refer to both groups of narcotic drugs as “opiates and opioids,” the naturally derived and the synthetic. But currently, when people wish to refer to all of these drugs, they often use the term “opioid.”
If a person is dependent on (“addicted to”) one particular opiate or opioid drug, whether it’s medically prescribed or illicitly obtained, they may find that switching to a different opiate or opioid can help maintain their dependency or addiction. That is, substituting one opiate or opioid for another may help prevent withdrawal symptoms. Most of us have heard stories of people with real, actual, pain who became dependent on prescription pain-relieving narcotic drugs, then switched to illicit opioids or the opiate heroin when the medically supplied narcotics ran out.
What Is Morphine?
Morphine is most commonly used to help relieve severe pain, and was one of the first opioids to be chemically isolated and used for pain relief in 1827. Because of this, morphine is one of the most well-studied opioids and is often used as the benchmark for comparing the strengths of other opioids.
Like other opioids, morphine causes a flood of dopamine in the brain’s reward center. This gives morphine its intense high, but the brain quickly grows a tolerance to its effects. Opioid addicts often begin to use stronger and stronger opioids as they develop tolerance in the hopes of achieving the same high.
What Is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl, similar to morphine, works by increasing dopamine neurotransmitter activity and is highly addictive. Fentanyl is more commonly used in cases of more extreme pain, especially in those who have developed a tolerance to pain medication.
Between the two opioids, fentanyl is a lot more potent than morphine. This is mostly due to the fact that morphine is a chemical derived from poppy plants, while fentanyl is synthetic. Your body cannot regulate a synthetic drug, only something that is more natural, because it cannot identify what it is. Fentanyl is usually only reserved for the most severe types of pain because of its high potency.
A reference of this action is seen with Valiums. Your body cannot stop the effects of the synthetic drug and its actions on the body, so someone can overdose more easily. Valiums are made from Valerian root and the body’s DNA can properly communicate with nature and its natural chemistry. You cannot overdose on valerian root, like most herbs you only get nausea and headaches at the most.
Fentanyl and morphine are both painkillers, but different painkillers affect the body in different ways. Two of the most common and potent opioids used in hospital settings are morphine and fentanyl. With a large number of fentanyl overdoses in the past decade, patients prescribed fentanyl may wonder, “How strong is fentanyl vs. morphine?”
When comparing fentanyl vs. morphine, it’s important to note that both are quite powerful opioids with high potential for addiction. Both are extremely potent, fast-acting, and can be lethal in as little as one dose. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 80 percent of heroin users report starting their substance abuse with prescription opioids.
Fentanyl is easily one of the most abused drugs in America; it is very dangerous and can end your life. This drug is used by “mules” (a person who transports drugs illegally) to cross from Mexico into America almost daily.
How Much Stronger Is Fentanyl vs. Morphine?
While both are potent opioids, fentanyl is far stronger than morphine. For this reason, morphine is typically considered the safer of the two opioids, and is prescribed more often for pain management than fentanyl. Because of the strength of fentanyl, even a small amount can lead to an overdose or death. For example, just a quarter of a milligram of fentanyl can cause respiratory failure.
Opioid potency is measured by how much stronger an opioid is compared to morphine. For comparison, methadone is about three times stronger than morphine, heroin is about five times stronger, and fentanyl is 100 times stronger. This means that to achieve the same painkilling effect, you’d only have to take a tenth of the amount of fentanyl vs. morphine.
This dramatic difference in potency contributes to the overdose potential of these different drugs. Despite fentanyl being so much stronger than heroin, it is often cheaper because it is easier to synthesize and doesn’t require poppy plants to make.
Because of this, illicit heroin is often laced with fentanyl in order to increase profits. This is also why fentanyl is so dangerous. Users who don’t realize that they are taking fentanyl aren’t expecting the strength of the opiate effect that they receive, and they can easily overdose on even a small amount.
How Strong Is Fentanyl Compared to Other Opioids?
When discussing fentanyl vs. morphine, it’s important to keep in mind that although one may be more potent, all opioids are dangerous when taken irresponsibly.
Fentanyl vs. Dilaudid
Dilaudid is a brand-name medication containing the semi-synthetic opioid hydromorphone, which is derived from morphine. Dilaudid is used to treat moderate-to-severe pain symptoms. Due to its high potential for addiction, Dilaudid is usually reserved for short-term therapeutic use. Despite this, while it is roughly 10 times more potent than morphine, Dilaudid is still only about one-tenth as strong as fentanyl.
Dilaudid can take up to a half-hour to begin working, but the pain killing effects lasts for several hours. Fentanyl works faster, sometimes within a minute. However, fentanyl has a relatively short effect, and will typically start to wear off within 90 minutes. For this reason, Dilaudid is more often used for long-term pain management, while fentanyl is used for an immediate effect.
Fentanyl vs. Oxycodone
Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic opioid that is used for moderate to severe pain and is one of the most commonly prescribed painkillers in America. Oxycodone has a much weaker effect compared to fentanyl. Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine, and morphine itself is one-and-a-half times more powerful than oxycodone. However, as an opioid, oxycodone is still highly addictive and thus carries the potential for overdose.
While oxycodone is also strong, fentanyl is one of the strongest opioids available. There are more restrictions surrounding who should be prescribed fentanyl, and it’s not intended for managing short-term pain. Instead, fentanyl is most often intended for people experiencing severe pain who have developed a tolerance to other painkillers.
Throughout the United States, it is becoming easier for the general public to get their hands on an opioid antagonist. And due to the opioid epidemic, these opioid antagonist kits are actually available at pharmacies over the counter, which means that there is no prescription needed. But what exactly is an opioid antagonist, and can it really help to combat the opioid overdose epidemic?
What Is an Opioid Antagonist?
When it comes to drug addictions, there is an emergency aid. It’s called an opioid antagonist, and it is something that reverses the actions of an opioid overdose. These opioid antagonists can also help to eliminate prescription drug cravings when somebody is going through a detoxification process. In these cases, the opioid antagonist works to help people heal from opioid addiction as well as an addiction to substances like meth. It works by reversing the depression of the central nervous system and respiratory system caused by opioids.
An opioid antagonist for overdose prevention typically comes in the form of a medication that can be administered through a nasal spray or with a shot. One well-known type of opioid antagonist is called Narcan, otherwise known by its generic name of naloxone. Naloxone generally has no effect on those not using opioids, has no abuse potential, and is recommended by the World Health Organization for distribution to anyone likely to encounter a fatal opioid overdose, including emergency personnel and friends and family members of those using opioids. Naloxone was patented in 1961 and approved for opioid overdose in the United States in 1971.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of different reasons why somebody might be using opioids. For some people, opioids like painkillers are prescribed legally by their doctors to treat chronic conditions or for relief after surgery, injury, etc. However, these drugs are highly addictive, and thus can be abused. Here are some symptoms to be on the lookout for when someone is abusing them.
Behavioral symptoms:
- Lying about pain to receive prescriptions for opioids
- Making appointments for multiple different doctors to receive multiple prescriptions for opioids
- Poor performance in work
- Unexplained periods of absence
- Isolating oneself from friends or family members
- Stealing medications from others
Physical symptoms:
- Noticeable changes in personal appearance, such as weight loss or changes in hygiene
- Scabs, sores, or puncture wounds suggestive of IV drug use
- Poor motor skills and coordination
- Digestive problems, such as vomiting or diarrhea
- Nausea
- Pupil constriction
Cognitive symptoms:
- Slowed thinking
- Impaired judgment and problem-solving
- Feeling detached from one’s surroundings
- Difficulty concentrating
Psychosocial symptoms:
- Emotional swings
- Sudden, unprovoked outbursts
- Irritability
- Depression
- Paranoia
All of these things are signs that someone might have an opioid addiction, which can lead to an overdose. When someone is having an opioid overdose, the body begins to experience severe symptoms, such as loss of consciousness or the inability to breathe. Simply put, an opioid antagonist stops the body from having these symptoms. This can be the difference between life and death.
What Do You Do During an Opioid Overdose?
You can purchase an opioid antagonist kit at a local drug store. The kits usually contain one or two doses of Narcan as well as instructions on how to administer the medication. So, if you have a Narcan kit on hand and you see somebody having an opioid overdose, the best thing is to act fast, contact medical professionals, and follow the instructions in the kit. Most often, the steps to administer a Narcan kit include:
1. Contact emergency services for help
2. Insert the tip of the nasal applicator into one nostril or inject the shot into a large muscle on the body
3. Administer the medicine
4. If effective, the medication will work within minutes. Assess to see if the patient is breathing and/or can regain consciousness
5. If the medication does not halt the symptoms of the overdose, prepare to repeat the steps with a second dose as you wait for medical professionals to arrive
Now, even if the opioid antagonist works and helps the person to breathe and become alert once again, this doesn’t mean that they are out of the woods yet. Rather, the benefits of Narcan are temporary and can last only 60 to 90 minutes. This means that the overdose can start up again unless the person receives appropriate medical attention. Then, after they are physically able to recover from the overdose, it’s time to heal from the root of the issue: addiction and mental health issues.
One more point to make, after taking to an addict, they suggested one particular drug to help come off of herion – buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone.
While we are on the subject of drug abuse, there is one more drug I would like to mention.
What Is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a very powerful, addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant. Pure cocaine is a flakey white powder, but can also be injected or smoked when in crack cocaine form. Most users of cocaine will snort the drug, as this provides a quick high without the use of any drug paraphernalia. Other names for cocaine include:
- Coke
- Snow
- Blow
- Rock
- Crack
Cocaine is currently listed as a schedule II drug. This means that it has a high potential for abuse but can be administered by a doctor for legitimate medical uses, such as local anesthesia for some eye, ear, and throat surgeries.
How Is Cocaine Made?
The process of making cocaine typically requires three major steps. That said, several smaller steps take place before the drug reaches the street. These often involve cutting the drug with other substances or changing the drug to a rock form for smoking.
The first step in how cocaine is made is the obvious growing and harvesting of the coca plant. There are several different strains of the plant, each with its amount of the necessary active ingredient. Once the correct plant is grown, the leaves are soaked in gasoline to help separate the alkaloid from the leaves. The leaves are then hung to dry.
Once dried, the leaves are then soaked in a substance containing lime or other alkaline liquids. This step helps extract the cocaine from the leaves. Next, the leaves are pulled from the mixture and soaked in sulfuric acid to dissolve the remaining leaves.
Finally, the mixture is soaked once again in acid, this time acetone. Acetone is a colorless, highly volatile, and flammable liquid usually found in nail polish remover. Once this is done, what is left is pure, uncut cocaine.
The last step, usually done at the dealer level is cutting or adding different chemicals to the drug.
Why Are Cocaine Cutting Agents Used?
Given the drug’s illicit nature, many dealers have learned how to cut cocaine. A dealer may cut their cocaine with other drugs to change or intensify the effects of the drug. This is typically done to get users hooked more quickly so that they will buy more frequently. A dealer may also cut their cocaine with less addictive chemicals to sell less of the actual drug and make more money.
Cutting agents can change the form, texture, or color of the drug, and can make it easier to consume. While pure, uncut cocaine appears salt-like and powdery, typical additives used to cut cocaine can make the drug appear light pink or off-white. Cutting cocaine can be especially dangerous and can lead to overdose or even death.
Common cocaine cutting agents include:
- Laundry detergent
- Laxatives
- Fentanyl
- Carfentanil
- Caffeine
- Boric acid
- Amphetamines
- Local anesthetics like procaine or lidocaine
- Creatine
- Tylenol or aspirin
- Levamisole (a cattle dewormer)
Using cocaine that has been cut with any substance can be extremely dangerous, even if that cutting agent seems safe. Some cocaine that has been cut to increase its addictive qualities can even carry a lethal dose of fentanyl. Even chemicals like caffeine or creatine can harm the mucus membrane in the nose and can have different effects on the body and brain when inhaled. Without knowing what’s in cocaine, it’s impossible to take in a way that is even remotely safe.
Side Effects of Cocaine
Cocaine sends high levels of dopamine, the chemical responsible for feeling pleasure, to your brain. This sudden build-up of dopamine causes intense feelings of energy and alertness, called a high.
Some short term effects of cocaine use can include:
- Extreme sensitivity to sound, touch, and sight
- Intense feelings of happiness
- Anger/irritability
- Decreased appetite
- Paranoia
Frequent use of cocaine can lead to serious health complications. These can include some of the following:
- Chronic headaches
- Convulsions and seizures
- Heart disease, heart attack, and stroke
- Mood swings
- Lung damage
- HIV or hepatitis if injected
- Bowel decay if swallowed
- Loss of smell, nosebleeds, and trouble swallowing
Given cocaine’s addictive properties, users typically experience strong cravings for the drug. However, frequent cocaine use can lead to the brain developing a tolerance. This means to reach the same desired high, stronger doses are needed. This can lead to addiction or overdose.
Drug Store Cowboys
This is a story for another day…
WHAT ARE NATURAL PAINKILLERS?
4 Main Elements of why you might be in PAIN:
Dehydration – Lubrication & Cramps
Minerals – Deficiency & Tissue Repair
Toxins – Conductivity of cellular function
Stress – Adrenal Fatigue (Decrease in physical abilities/stiffness)
Solutions:
1. 50-70 ounces of H2O Daily (Alkaline water)
2. Avoid: Dairy, Sugar, Night Shades (Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, Eggplant)
3. Add: Himalayan Salt to H2O & Foods (Sole – 1 teaspoon + daily)
4. Add: Enzymes (Meals & Empty Stomach)
5. Add: Fats (Flax Seed or Fish Oil, Black Seed Oil)
6. Add: Hydrolyzed Collagen (Joint Repair)
7. Add: Nitric Oxide Formula (Vasodilatation, Muscle Contraction & Performance)
8. Add: Magnesium Orotate daily to your routine. (Athletic Performance)
Enzyme Formulas (Most important for Repair & Inflammation, especially Pancreatin)
Many different companies design enzyme formulas for repair of the different tissue layers of the body; Muscle, Ligament, Tendon, Bone, etc.
Adrenal Fatigue (3 Main factors)
1. Magnesium (10 different forms, which is best for you?)
2. Adrenal Formulas (DSF/ADB5_Plus)
3. Salt (Himalayan salt – 84 Trace Minerals, feeds your adrenals and re-balances your energy bio-field, also very alkaline).
These are simply suggestions, ultimately it’s up to you to decide what is best for you. My suggestion is to test the best products for you and the dosages. (Kinesiology)
Herbs: (Bosweilla, Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamin, Cayenne, Garlic, Green Tea, Black pepper, Dong Quai, Samambaia, Sarsaparilla, Red Tangerine Peel, Aquilaria, Safflower, Manaca, Peach Kernel, Dalergia Wood, Bitter Orange, Tayuya, Iporuru, Una de Gato, willow bark)