Addictive Pain Medications

Unlike over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen, many of the pain medications available through a doctor's prescription have a high potential for dependence or addiction. Understanding which drugs have such potential--as well as learning about how addiction to painkillers develops--is essential to the health of you or someone you know who may be taking an addictive pain medication.

Features

• Addictive pain medications have many names, but they share certain key features in common. Termed narcotic or opioid painkillers, these medications are usually derived from raw opium, according to the Mayo Clinic, which is harvested from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy flower. Other addictive painkillers are synthesized in a laboratory, but still fall under the narcotic category.

Types

• Many types of addictive pain medications are available through a physician's prescription, to treat moderate to severe pain. These include the opioids codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine and hydromorphone, as well as the synthetic opioid propoxyphene. The powerful street drug heroin is yet another type of opioid with strong painkilling as well as addictive properties.

Function

• Opioid or synthetic opioid pain medications act on the brain's opioid receptors, producing a powerful analgesic (pain-relieving) effect when taken orally or administered via intravenous injection. Although they work well to treat severe pain, narcotic pain medications are highly addictive, according to the National Institutes of Health's MedlinePlus website.

Effects

• Along with relieving severe or chronic pain, addictive pain medications share certain side effects, states the Mayo Clinic. Sedation, slowed breathing, confusion and constipation are potentially dangerous side effects. Potent narcotic painkillers often produce a sense of relaxation and well-being that can contribute to a psychological addiction to the drugs. If narcotic painkillers are taken for more than a few days, physical dependence can develop as the brain becomes accustomed to their use.

Considerations

• Addiction to pain medications is a serious medical matter. Talk to your doctor if you've been prescribed a narcotic pain medication, and weigh the considerable risks against the pain-relieving benefits of your medication.

Warning

• A potentially fatal overdose is possible from narcotic pain medications alone, yet this risk is greatly enhanced if alcohol or sedative drugs such as benzodiazepines (diazepam, clonazepam) are combined with opioid drugs. Slurred speech, unconsciousness and lack of coordination are all warning signs of an overdose--contact emergency services immediately if you or someone you know is showing any of these signs.