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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Opioids and opiates ease pain and have other medicinal purposes. The two classes of drugs aren’t exactly the same, but they share many similarities. Many experts use the terms interchangeably because the drugs’ uses and effects have a lot in common.“It’s not a matter of opioids versus opiates,” says psychiatrist and substance use disorder specialist David Streem, MD. “From a patient perspective, opiates and opioids perform similar functions when used as prescribed. When misused, they can lead to a substance use disorder.”In fact, opioids and opiates are more similar than different. Dr. Streem explains.What’s the difference between an opiate and an opioid?The key difference between the two groups of drugs is their chemical makeup:Opiates come from natural chemical compounds in the opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum). Opiates, such as codeine and morphine, have approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medicinal purposes. Opiates like heroin and opium aren’t legal because they don’t help (and often harm) your health.Opioids are made in labs. There are more than 500 different lab-made opioid chemical compounds. Common ones that have medicinal purposes include fentanyl, loperamide, methadone and tramadol.Are opiates and opioids the same?For the most part, yes. Opioids and opiates are both narcotics. The word “narcotics” comes from the Greek word “narkoun,” which means to numb. Narcotics dull your senses, including your perception of pain.Some drugs like hydrocodone and oxycodone are a mix of natural and lab-made chemical compounds. They fall into the opioid category. Even though opiates are made from natural compounds, healthcare experts and others now lump them in with opioids.“We view any drug that causes opioid-like effects to be an opioid,” states Dr. Streem.So, all opiates are opioids. Other drugs that fall into the opioid category include kratom (an herbal supplement) and tianeptine (more commonly called gas station
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