Originally Posted by
base2
Opiates don't take away the pain, they take away the care. That's exactly why plain ol' aspirine, & other OTC meds don't work any better or worse & it explains why junkies gravitate towards opuates & not aspirine. The devil is in the details though. Opiates actually sensetize the nerves & lower the pain threshold so that when withdrawing the user believes they are feeling pain. It was explained to me that the incoming signal from your body is like that background hiss on a blank audio cassette. In normal people it's nearly imperceptable background noise. In the junkie, during withdrawl, it's like somebody cranked the volume knob on that hiss so that every nerve in your body is perceived to be screaming like a speaker at a rock concert.
I have no expertise on this, I've refused opioids at every turn because...Well, nobody likes being stopped up. But that's the analogy that was explained to me.
Heroine doesn't even look like fun. Why would anyone even try it? Dumb. If you are going to stunt your life, wouldn't you want to pick a fun one at least?
Absolutely incorrect. This isn't based on anecdotes or guesswork. This is science and research. Google around for some basic explanations about the body's
opioid receptors and why and how this stuff works.
Opium poppies, mitragyna speciosa and a few other plants work on the body's opioid receptors entirely differently from the effects of anti-inflammatories like aspirin and ibuprofen, steroids, and differently yet again from the effects of cannabis and other plants on the endocannabinoid system receptors.
Despite the misrepresentation of the issue of "drug" use and abuse by the credulous disinformation media and government, most folks who suffer from pain do not abuse medications. The vast majority of people throughout history use these only to the extent needed to function and return to normal life. Otherwise nearly the entire planet would be dominated by junkies. This isn't the case.
A side effect of some substances that relieve pain may also be due to psychological and emotional effects. For example, some research papers published on the NCBI/NIH site regarding the use of cannabis products indicate that CBD and THC are not particularly effective pain relievers, certainly nowhere near as effective as opiates. However THC does appear to be effective at reducing stress and anxiety, which can exacerbate real physical pain. CBD and THC are also effective at relieving nausea, enhancing appetite, and encouraging patients with cancer, terminal illnesses and chronic pain to eat enough to strengthen the body and cope with pain. They're effective supplements and adjuncts to pain relief. But not effective pain relievers by themselves.
On the flip side, opiates tend to reduce appetite and interfere with digestion. There is only one serious physical danger associated with opiates -- respiratory depression. That's it. The next most critical side effect is reducing peristalsis -- digestion -- which usually results in constipation. Not immediately fatal, but very uncomfortable. If neglected it can lead to serious illness, but not in the same risk category as respiratory depression. This is why Tramadol/Ultram was so effective. It had reduced risk of respiratory depression, reduced problems with constipation, lower risk of addiction, lower risk of reducing appetite. Unfortunately it's now been demonized along with every other opiate.
The irony is that the greatest risk right now is from black market Chinese fentanyl, not from oxycontin and certainly not from Tramadol or hydrocodone. Even heroin pales in comparison with fentanyl as a risk, and it's not the approved manufacturing or fentanyl used by medical professionals, but the black market stuff coming from China. It is so potent and so poorly regulated that an amount equal to only a grain or two of sugar or salt may be enough to kill, through respiratory depression.
But you'll rarely hear this from the popular media or government because they oversimplify everything in the pursuit of ad revenue and fear based control agendas.