What is the Difference Between the Word “Opiate” and “Opioid”?
The term “opiate” was traditionally used to refer to naturally derived products from the opium of the poppy plant (such as morphine and codeine)and “opioid” was used to denote the synthetic and semi-synthetic derivatives (such as methadone or fentanyl). Currently, the term “opioid” is now used to refer to the entire family of opiates including natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic. Literature currently seems to be leaning toward substituting the word “opioid” in most areas where the word “opiate” has previously been used. This is strictly a semantic issue. Why Isn’t This Just Replacing One Addiction For Another? You are not replacing one addiction for another. You are going to be replacing the tormented life of addiction with medical treatment, accountability, & honesty. They are vastly different conditions and one means of looking at this is to consider the two states, side by side as we have presented them below. The list below is foreshortened for space, but it is clear that the pai
