Understanding the substance that has taken hold of your life has therapeutic and personal value. Because the more you learn, the better you can understand how to escape a life of addiction. At Casa Palmera in West Los Angeles, we provide hope and treatment to clients who’ve walked away from opioid or opiate use. Learn the differences between opioid vs opiate use and recovery.
In general, “opiate” signifies the poppy plant. Opiates derive directly from the natural-growing plant. “Opioids” are less common. They are related to opiates but don’t come directly from the poppy plant. The other main difference between opioid vs opiate is each drug type’s effect on your body.
Opioid vs Opiate
Opiates, also called opiate drugs, come from alkaloids produced from the opium poppy. In legitimate medical use, these drugs can relieve pain. For example, some opiate drugs include:
- Heroin
- Morphine
- Opium
- Codeine
Comparing opioid vs opiate, you find that synthetic opioids often have higher concentrations of the drug’s active ingredients. According to a Yale University report, opioids produce the same effect as opiates. So, considering an opioid vs opiate, both eliminate pain effectively. The following drugs derive from synthetic opioids:
- Oxycodone
- Fentanyl
- Percodan
- Demerol
- Methadone
- Percocet
Opioid chemicals are created from specialized cells within your digestive tract and central nervous system. Known as endorphins, opioids send signals back and forth between nerve cells. Each nerve cell has a corresponding opioid receptor site. When it comes to opioids versus opiates, both can bind to receptor sites.
From a medical standpoint, opioids are substances that bind to opioid receptor sites. Both classes of drugs meet these criteria, eliminating the differentiation between opioids vs opiates. To clarify, morphine and heroin are both opiates and opioids. But Percocet and Demerol are only opioids.
The Way Your Body Processes Opioids and Opiates
Opioids reduce activity in your central nervous system, which comes in handy when you’re in pain. Known as the analgesic effect, this natural pain-relieving function helps doctors treat people in acute or chronic pain. When it comes to your opioid receptor sites, there’s no debate over opioids versus opiates. Both interfere with the transmission of nerve signals in the same manner. However, the effect may be amplified by added substances.
As man-made drugs, opioids can target particular receptor sites. Certain receptor sites release a variety of endorphins. Opioids vs opiates determine which sites are targeted. For example, some of these drugs have a strong sedative effect due to the kind of endorphins secreted.
How You Become Addicted
When comparing opioids vs opiates, you can find differences in the way these drugs act once they bind with a receptor site. Naturally occurring opiates, including opium and heroin, promote the release of endorphins. Thus, they are highly addictive, increasing the risk of abuse.
Oxycodone and hydrocodone, opioid drugs, maximize the euphoric effect of the way your body processes the drug. On the other hand, naltrexone and naloxone can relieve pain with the “high” feeling. As a result, they are used to treat addiction to an opioid vs opiate.
Opioids vs Opiates Recovery at Casa Palmera in West Los Angeles
Choose from inpatient and outpatient treatment options to fit your recovery into your lifestyle and responsibilities. Inpatient, residential treatment may better help those who’ve tried to quit in the past.
Contact us to learn more about opioids vs opiates or to sign up for addiction recovery today. We can help you learn why it’s vital to put substance abuse disorder behind you. You may even be able to help others in your peer groups dedicate their efforts to living clean and free of drugs and alcohol.
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