What is the difference between “opioids” and “opiates”?
Opiates are drugs derived from opium. Opioids used to refer to synthetic opiates (drugs created to emulate opium, however different chemically). Now the term Opioid is used for the entire family of opiates including natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic. An opioid is any agent that activates opioid receptors (protein molecules located on the membranes of some nerve cells) found principally in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.
