Opium is a substance extracted from the eastern poppy ( Papaver somniferum ) and is therefore considered a natural drug. It was initially used to combat extreme pain because it acts on the nervous system, eliminating pain and discomfort, but it also has hypnotic action, although it can also negatively affect the body causing tolerance, requiring increasing doses to find the same benefits '.
How opium is consumed
Illegally, natural opium is found in rod form, in powder form, in capsules or tablets. In powder, it is inhaled as well as cocaine, but opium can also be taken as tea, and in the form of a sublingual tablet or as a suppository. Opium can not be smoked because the heat degrades its molecules, changing its effects.
Effects of opium drug
Natural opium when consumed has the following effects on the body:
- Analgesic action and combat strong pains, bringing a sense of relief and well-being;
- It induces sleep, by having hypnotic action;
- Combats cough and is therefore widely used in syrups and cough remedies;
- It induces a state of calm where reality and dream are mixed;
- It affects intelligence;
- Decreases the body's natural defense system, with increased risk of disease.
These effects last from 3 to 4 hours, depending on the amount that has been consumed. But in addition, opium also lowers blood pressure and the center of respiration, but finding the same effects requires increasing doses, which causes addiction and addiction.
Symptoms of withdrawal
By spending about 12 hours to 10 days without consuming opium the body shows withdrawal symptoms, requiring a retake, such as:
- Goosebumps;
- Sensitivity to light;
- Tremors;
- Increased pressure;
- Diarrhea;
- Choro crises;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Cold sweat;
- Anxiety;
- Abdominal and muscular cramps;
- Loss of appetite;
- Insomnia and
- Strong pains.
It is not possible to predict when the person becomes dependent and therefore these symptoms may arise even after few uses of this drug.
To get rid of addiction in opium requires hospitalization for treatment against chemical dependence because there is risk of death if the person decides to stop consuming abruptly. In the treatment centers, medicines are used that help the body get rid of opium gradually, which makes rehabilitation possible. However, the consumption of opium alters the body's molecular structure, causing the person who has consumed opium to relapse even after many years of last consumption.
Origin of opium
The largest producer of natural opium is Afghanistan, which has large poppy plantations, but other countries involved are Turkey, Iran, India, China, Lebanon, Greece, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and southwest Asia.
Opium is found in powder form that is obtained from the latex that is taken from the capsule of the poppy, still green. In this powder is morphine and codeine, which act on the central nervous system causing the brain to function more slowly, which causes sleep and rest.
Other substances derived from opium, but produced in the laboratory, are heroin, meperidine, propoxyphene and methadone, which are potent drugs against acute and postoperative pain. Some names of opiate remedies are Meperidine, Dolantina, Demerol, Algafan and Tylex. The use of these medicines also causes the person to become accustomed to its effects in the brain, becoming addicted and there is a risk of overdose, so these remedies are only indicated in extreme cases.
