Hydrocodone — The next in the list of opioids strongest to weakest is hydrocodone, which is sold under many different brand names such as Norco, Vicodin, and Zohydro. It is usually sold as a way to manage pain after surgery, chronic pain, or pain from an injury. It comes in both a syrup and tablet form. Street names for hydrocodone include names such as Watson and Vike. Hydrocodone has about the same strength as morphine and is commonly combined with other pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
Brand names include MS Contin and Duramorph among others. It is often used as a pain-management solution for cancer patients. It is available in tablet, capsule, suppository, and injectable form. Tramadol Ultram — Tramadol is used to relieve moderate to moderately severe pain and has about one-tenth the potency of morphine.
Demerol Meperidine — The brand name opioid, Demerol, is most frequently used treat moderate to severe pain, and is about 7 to 10 times less potent than morphine. It may also be used as anesthesia due to its potency. The drug comes in a variety of forms including an injectable solution, tablet, and liquid oral solution. Common street names include Pain Killer and Demmies.
Though meperidine is less potent than many other opioids, it is classified as a Schedule II narcotic along with oxycodone and fentanyl. Codeine — This opioid is a relatively short-acting opiate. It is commonly prescribed along with aspirin and acetaminophen. Tablet, capsule and liquid forms of the drug are sold. The US opioid epidemic has been an ongoing public health emergency since October 26, In , there were an estimated 67, drug-related deaths.
Regardless if it is snorted, injected, or smoked, it is extremely dangerous and can result in an overdose. Heroin is particularly dangerous because it is manufactured in clandestine laboratories. Sometimes, it is cut with fentanyl or other dangerous substances. It can be difficult to tell exactly what chemicals are in different batches of heroin until it is too late.
Hydromorphone, or Dilaudid, is prescribed as a pain reliever for severe pain. Since it is significantly stronger than morphine, it produces relaxation and extreme sedation. The drug can be dissolved and injected, causing instant effects similar to those of heroin. Consequently, many people who suffer from an opioid use disorder will use hydromorphone as a substitute for heroin. Oxymorphone is sold under the brand name Opana. Although it has medicinal use in treating moderate to severe pain, it still has a high potential for abuse.
It is usually dispensed in pill form, however, it also comes as a liquid made for injection. Those who abuse oxymorphone might swallow the pills, snort them, or inject them. They can also be obtained illicitly on the street. Methadone is strictly regulated because it is prescribed to treat opioid addiction and to help reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Methadone can be swallowed or injected. After all, it has a similar chemical structure to that of morphine and heroin. In addition, it can make users feel euphoric and sedated. Since methadone is used to treat opioid use disorders, some may believe that the drug is safe. Unfortunately, this is not the case. When methadone is abused, users are at risk of overdose and other adverse health reactions. Methadone should only be used under careful professional supervision.
Next on the list of the strongest opioids is Oxycodone. Oxycodone is sold under the brand names Percocet, Roxicodone, and Oxycontin. It is one of the most common opioids that is prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain. People who are older may have less trouble with side effects such as sleepiness or confusion with hydromorphone.
People whose kidneys are not fully functioning may also do better with hydromorphone, because it is removed from the body by the liver not the kidneys. A physician takes these factors into account when deciding which medication to use. Usually when people have become adjusted to a short-acting medication, they are switched to the slow-release form. Both forms typically take effect within half an hour. The short-acting form typically lasts for four hours and the slow-release usually lasts eight.
Sometimes people with stable pain are switched to a fentanyl patch, which lasts even longer. People with a fentanyl patch continue to have oral pain medication for breakthrough pain.
It should only be used once a person has been on another opioid for several days and the pain is well managed. It is not used when people have intermittent pain, acute pain such as the pain following surgery, or need a lower level of pain relief. The medication in the patch could harm a pet or child. Many factors need to be considered when deciding which pain medication is best for a given situation.
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