How Opioids Hurt Pennsylvania

Types of Prescription Opioid Drugs

Opioid painkillers are a class of drug that can treat people with moderate to high levels  of pain. Let’s break down the various types of opioids:

• Fentanyl – this drug is a synthetic opioid that is usually used to treat breakthrough pain. When people are already on a medication plan but still have bouts of pain, fentanyl can help.
• Oxycodone – this form of opioid is common and can be given for short-acting and long-acting pain.
• Hydrocodone – this drug is used to treat short-acting pain.
• Morphine – this is one of the strongest opioids and often given to people with chronic pain.
• Codeine – this medication is usually taken orally and used to treat short-acting pain.
• Hydromorphone – a fast-acting drug, hydromorphone is a short-acting drug that can also be a morphine substitute.
• Methadone – can be used to help people struggling with an addiction to opioids through a weaning method. People in chronic pain can also use this for pain management.
• Oxymorphone – another drug that can be used in place of morphine, oxymorphone is a drug that can treat both short-acting and long-acting pain.
• Pentazocine – a drug similar to codeine, it’s important to know that this drug may affect seniors more than others and give them symptoms of confusion and anxiety.

Each of these drugs has the potential for addiction. Creating awareness of the addiction potential and the mechanism for addiction is an important step to curbing addiction.