Thank you. Hey everybody, welcome back. This
is your host Neogentrics, and we're here with
Food for Thought, Thoughts If It Were You, a
Dark Cancer Productions, back at 3am here in
Houston. How you guys doing? Welcome back to
Season 3. Like I said last time, we're going
to be talking about different types of drugs
or narcotics. They fall into different categories,
like I mentioned before. Each one of them having
their own specific category. And last time, I
think I mentioned what one of them was. It was
opioids, which are... a type of painkiller, or
such. Okay. Today we're going to be talking about
what they are, probably name a few, and then
in the next couple of days we'll talk about a
couple of different specific opioids, what their
effects are, what they do, and things to be aware
of moving forward. After that we'll go into a
couple of the other categories as well, gluten,
hallucinogens, and so on and so on. because I
feel like these are rather important right now,
and these are topics people should be talking
about or discussing, but for whatever reason,
they're ignoring. So if this is still for you,
and you want to keep listening, by all means,
stick to it. Otherwise, check out my other episodes
for self -help, related topics, things that you
should know, but probably didn't know, things
that you do know, but didn't know how to affect
them properly, and other things of the like.
Like I said, there's more to come and a lot to
come this year, so hopefully you all will be
willing to stick with me as we progress through
this journey together. Next up, what is an opioid?
All right, all right, all right. Welcome back,
everybody. Here we are. And we're going to go
ahead and start off with the question of what
is an opioid, because I know there are people
out there who don't have any idea what this is.
All right, so to get started, what is an opioid?
An opioid is a class of drug that are used to
relieve pain. But like any other drug in many
different fashions and ways and possibilities,
It's also, or rather, it has a high potential
for being very addictive and easy to overdose
on. I mean, it's easy to argue that any drug
is easy to overdose on, but you'd be surprised.
There are some out there that are designed in
a way where it's not as easy to OD as you would
think. And you would need to consume quite a
bit of certain things to OD. But anyway. Opioids
in general, they are derived from the opium poppy
plant and include natural substances such as
morphine, codeine, and thivane, as well as some
synthetic substances such as the well -known
infamous fentanyl, carfentanil, and oxycodone.
So, anyway, I mean, let me rephrase it like this.
These are all different forms of opioids or...
Certain ones will contain multiple of these mixed
in it. Typically, an opioid isn't just one specific
thing. Depending on how it's being distributed
or produced, it could be a mix of substances,
both natural and synthetic, or it could be one
specific one that's been extracted. So, opioids
work by binding to specific receptors in the
brain and spinal cord, reducing the perception
of pain. They are, in a manner of speaking, They
also produce a sense of euphoria and relaxation,
which can lead to misuse and addiction in some
people's cases. Like, they like that peaceful
feeling, and they want to maintain it so they
keep taking the drug even though they don't need
it. Doctors, if they ever prescribe opioids,
usually typically only prescribe them for short
-term pain management. You know, like after a
surgery or major level injury. They can also
be prescribed for chronic pain, such as the...
How do I put it? Cancer patients. Typically cancer
patients. When used by a directed healthcare
professional, they can be very effective in managing
pain, but they should be used with caution and
under close medical supervision because they
need to be able to watch your reactions to it
to make sure that it's not affecting you in any
way that it shouldn't. And that you don't become
codependent on it being there, you know? In other
words, long -term use of opioids can lead to
physical dependence, which means that the body
adapts to the drug and then becomes... How do
I put it? Dependent or more reliant on more of
it? If it wants to, you know, achieve that same
effect that it's been getting before. This is
why you can't take the same medicine over and
over and over again. For some people, taking
NyQuil helps them fall asleep, but it also helps,
you know, cure certain instances, the flu or
whatnot. But in some people's case, because they
take it so readily every time they have the flu,
it has almost no effect, if it has any effect
whatsoever. That being said... Should you ever
stop taking it in response to some of these,
like, let's say you're sick ongoingly, but you
keep taking NyQuil? Well, this can also lead
to withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking that
drug. I'm not saying NyQuil is an opioid, I'm
just using it as an example. Misuse of opioids
can lead to an addiction that which... is characterized
by compulsive drug -seeking behaviors and the
inability to control how much of it you use.
Like when you go to get it, instead of reading
the bottle and taking what you normally would
take as a recommended dosage, you take more of
it or you don't even look at it. You just fill
it like a shot glass and you just take it. Opioid
addiction has become a major public health crisis
in the United States, which is resulting in high
numbers of overdose deaths every year. So it's
definitely a major problem, though I don't know
how they're handling it, so beats the heck out
of me. We have a lot of counseling and crisis
centers for this type of thing to check a person's
mental evaluation, their health, their behaviors.
But anyway, the best way to prevent... opioid
overdose is to just avoid using them altogether
if you can help it. But if they are prescribed,
it's also important to take them only as directed
by the healthcare professionals. Please, please
don't mix them with any other substances or medications,
especially alcohol. Okay? Because the effects
of the drug change depending on what alcohol,
how strong the alcohol is, and how it mixes with
that said drug. That's one way to put it, honestly.
Anyway, so, in summary, opioids are a class of
drugs that are used to relieve pain, but they
also have a high potential for addiction and
overdose, and it's important to be aware of the
risks and to take steps to prevent yourself and
your loved ones from, you know, becoming overly
stimulated by it. there's something I want to
go ahead and talk about. I mentioned before that
there are natural and synthetic opioids. I'm
going to focus on the synthetic one for a moment.
First off, what is a synthetic opioid? A synthetic
one is a handmade drug that mimics the effect
of the natural occurring opioids such as morphine
and totic. And for obvious reasons. Synthetic
opioids include fentanyl, carfentanil, and tramadol.
Tramadol is not as well known as the other two,
but fentanyl, being the more popular one and
more common one in particular, has been responsible
for a large number of overdose deaths in the
recent years and has seemed to pop up again in
2023 and to the end of 2022 for some weird reason.
This is because it is... so much stronger than
the other opioids, and even a small amount of
it can be fatal. Extremely so. Synthetic opioids
have become a major contributor to the opioid
crisis in the United States, as they are often
more easily available and cheaper than natural
opioids. They are also more likely to be mixed
with other substances, which, as you would guess,
would increase the risk of overdose. It's important
to note that synthetic opioids can be prescribed
by healthcare professionals, again, you know,
for the management of severe pain, but they should
only be taken under close medical supervision,
or at least with somebody nearby who knows what
they're doing. Misuse of synthetic opioids can
lead to addiction, overdose, and death. Very
quickly, I might add. If you or a loved one is
struggling with an opioid addiction, it's important
to seek help. Treatment options include medication
-assisted therapy, behavioral therapy, support
groups. You'd be surprised how helpful a support
group really is. In summary, you know, synthetic
opioids, like I said, they're man -made drugs.
They mimic the effects of natural opioids, but
they are often more potent and more dangerous.
It's easy to misuse them, and the misuse of a
synthetic opioid can lead to addiction overdose.
And it's important to be aware of the risks and
to seek help if you need it. They're very, very
dangerous. One last thing to cover before we
move forward. Well, with the rest of this episode,
this will be the last thing I cover today. Because
next time, we're going to be talking about one
of the more common organic opioids. I think we're
going to talk about one or two of them. And then
the next episode, we'll talk about some of the
synthetic ones, like fentanyl. But first, before
we get into that, like I said, one of the things
I wanted to cover was synthetic versus organic.
I already told you what a synthetic opioid is,
and a natural one is pretty obvious what it is,
based off of the description I've given earlier,
so... But, for the sake of clarity and sanity,
let me go ahead and mention right now that there
is a major difference between synthetic and...
Okay, first off, synthetic opioids are man -made
drugs that mimic the natural effects of naturally
reoccurring opioids, since as... morphine, and
codeine, and they are more potent and dangerous
than their natural counterparts. Examples of
synthetic opioids, again, are fentanyl, carfentanil,
and tramadol. Organic opioids, on the other hand,
are derived from the opium poppy plant, and they
include drugs like morphine, codeine, and oxycodone.
These drugs have been in use for centuries to
treat pain, but they also have a high potential
for overdose and addiction, and the opioid crisis
here in the United States has been driven in
large part by the proliferation of synthetic
opioids, i .e. fentanyl, in particular, has been
responsible for a large number of overdose deaths
in the recent years. And this is because it's
way, way stronger than all the other opioids.
And, like I said before, even a small amount
of it is fatal. However, it's important to note
that both synthetic and organic opioids... and
that the opioid crisis is still a very complex
issue with a lot of factors to consider. And
when I say a lot, I mean multiple different things.
There's a lot of reasons why people are either
overdosing or abusing or extremely addicted to
some of this stuff, and a lot of it isn't by
natural causes. A lot of it is not because the
person's just a natural addict. Some of them
are regular everyday people who were prescribed
it once and felt good about it or listened to
some idiot. or accidentally took more than they
should have and they got a high and they liked
it. At any rate, the best way to prevent opioid
overdose is to avoid using opioids altogether.
But, if they are prescribed, it's important to
take them only as directed by healthcare professionals
and to never mix them with any other substances,
especially alcohol. Okay? Like I said before,
I am no healthcare professional or, you know...
scientist of any nature all right but all this
information i'm giving you are natural information
that's available both on the web and in textbooks
in the library you know for those people who
still go to libraries like me to read up on it's
available it's free information you can go look
up online and learn about the stuff that you're
unaware of don't just take something because
someone says it makes you feel better especially
if it's a white powder and you don't know what
it's you know general purpose is or what it's
called God forbid it's a white powder. At any
rate, it's important to know the signs of overdose,
which include shallow breathing, blue lips or
nails, which, you know, is obvious. Unresponsiveness,
because some people just become unresponsive
altogether. I've seen people who were driving
and then all of a sudden just stopped moving.
They're sitting in their car, staring out the
window. But they're not all there. You walk up
to the window, knock on the window, and they
just kind of look at you and keep looking forward.
They're gone. They're completely unresponsive.
They're either under the influence of some type
of drug, or they have a mental problem or some
other health issue. In which case, you know,
I would recommend not messing with the person
in the vehicle in the scenario I gave, and just
call the police or 911. Like I said, if you suspect
anyone... is experiencing an overdose call 911
immediately and administer naloxone if you have
it most people don't have this so don't worry
about it it's not a big issue it's best to just
keep the person focused on you don't make them
lose their mind don't say anything to trigger
them if they're not responding anything they're
not doing anything just keep an eye on them so
that when the people who can do something get
there they can do what they need to do okay Overall,
synthetic and organic opioids are both powerful
drugs. And, you know, they can have serious consequences
if misused. And it's important to be aware of
the risks and to take steps to protect yourself
and your loved ones. Keep that in mind. All right,
everybody, that's all I have for us today. Today's
episode was about opioids, the general synopsis,
an idea of what they are, and that they are highly
addictive and dangerous, but more so the fact
that they are both synthetic and natural or organic
ones. And that the synthetic ones are not just
dangerous, if not more dangerous than the organic
ones, but they're more readily available and
cheaper, easier to get. than the natural ones
making them just as if not more potent and effectively
dangerous than anything else like i said before
if you ever catch anybody or see someone or suspect
anybody of taking these drugs or being addicted
to them or abusing them in any way please seek
help from a nearby health care professional or
call 9 -1 -1 and let them handle it don't get
involved if you can help it unless you know in
a way there's someone that you know But more
importantly, you need to protect yourself. The
last thing you need to do is be trying to help
them yourself or trying to do something yourself.
And you end up getting yourself addicted to the
same drug by accident. And I say this because
you're like, oh, I didn't ingest it. I didn't
take it. But like I said before, some of these
affect a person by simply just touching them.
But we'll get more into that in the future. Stick
around to next time because on the next episode,
we'll be talking about two well -known organic
opioids, morphine and oxycodone. And then the
follow -up episode, we'll move into synthetic
opioids like the infamous fentanyl. So more to
hear, more to go. If you're loving what you hear,
don't forget to hit that like and subscribe button.
Leave a comment down below if you think I missed
something or you have a topic suggestion that
you would like for me to hit. Until next time,
guys.