Opiates or Opium Drugs & Testing

Opiates and the Opioid Epidemic are common words in our society today.  It is helpful to have a better understanding of what specifically these drugs are and to learn about the testing aspects.  On the basic level, opiates are a class of drugs that derive from the Opium plant or are synthetic versions of these drugs.  This class of drugs includes oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin or Lortab), codeine, morphine, heroin, and the synthetic version of fentanyl.

The opioid epidemic has gripped the United States over the past decade and derived from an over-promotion by drug manufacturers and loose prescribing practices by doctors.  According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse between 2012 and 2020, opioid-involved overdose deaths rose from approximately 40,000 to 92,000.  While awareness has been raised significantly and education is evolving, the use of opioids and the potential for overdose is still significant in the United States.

Not All Overdoses are Abuse

There is a tendency to assume that all overdose patients are abusers.  While this may be the case, there are other reasons that patients can overdose:

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• Not taking the medication as prescribed because of misunderstandings or trying to get the pain under control

• Mixing pain medications with alcohol or other dangerous medications

• Mistaking medications and accidentally taking an opioid