What is the difference between an opiate and an opioid?
The word opiate is used in a variety of contexts, but can generally be interchanged with the word opioid. According to some sources, the word opiate can be used to describe natural and synthetic drugs which produce the characteristic opiate effects. Other people differentiate between the words opiate and opioid. This interpretation classifies all the naturally occurring substances from the poppy plant as opiates, granted they fit the classification for effects. An opioid is interpreted as a semi-synthetic or synthetic substance derived from or resembling the substances in the poppy plant or endogenous opioids, which are neurotransmitters in the brain. (Note: For the remainder of “Opiate Basics” the words, opioid and opiate, will be used interchangeably.) SO, TAKE AWAY THE POPPYCOCK AND YOU HAVE… — Opioids include all semi- and fully synthetic narcotic analgesics (e.g. oxycodone, methadone), and also refers to the entire family of opiates and opioids. — The word opiate describes narco
