narcotic \sdrug

narcotic is a substance that causes analgesia (pain alleviation), narcosis (stunned or sleepy state), and addiction (physical dependence on the drug). Narcotics can also cause euphoria in certain people (a feeling of great elation). Following that is a brief discussion of drugs. See drug use for a complete treatment plan.

Narcotics are sometimes referred to as narcotic analgesics because their primary therapeutic application is pain alleviation. Opiates—compounds found in or derived from opium—are the most well-known drugs. The dried milky liquid of the seed pods of the opium poppy is used to make opium (Papaver somniferum). The most important of the 20 or so alkaloids contained in opium is morphine, which is principally responsible for opium's narcotic characteristics. Opioids are synthetically created drugs that behave similarly to morphine; the phrases opiate, opioid, and narcotics are used interchangeably. Because of its addictive tendencies, negative consequences, and high prevalence of narcotic drug misuse, narcotic drug manufacture, trade, and use are restricted in most nations.

Narcotics found naturally in the opium poppy have been utilised for pain relief and exhilaration since ancient Greece. Opium poppy extracts were smoked, consumed, or drunk (as laudanum, a crude mixture of alcohol and opium). During the first part of the nineteenth century, the pharmacologically active components of opium were separated. The first was morphine, which was discovered in 1804 by a young German chemist named F.W.A. Sertürner. Codeine, a considerably weaker narcotic, was isolated from morphine.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the hypodermic needle was invented, allowing morphine to be taken by injection, which is advantageous in medicine because injections of morphine generate far higher effects than ingesting the same amount of substance orally. The availability of morphine injections, however, resulted in major addiction issues, prompting legislation to regulate the use, production, and trafficking of opioids and other harmful medicines. Such regulations are now in place in almost every country on the planet. The Bayer Company in Germany produced heroin, or diacetylmorphine, from morphine in 1898. Most narcotic abusers utilise heroin, which is 5 to 10 times more strong than morphine. Because heroin was found to be even more addictive than morphine, scientists looked for synthetic alternatives, which led to the development of opioids including meperidine (Demerol), methadone, and levorphanol (Levo-Dromoran).

Most long-term heroin or other narcotics users follow a predictable pattern of inhaling the drug, injecting it subcutaneously, and then injecting it intravenously; each of these steps is associated with a higher risk of addiction. Euphoria and relaxation give way to drug tolerance and physical dependency as the addict uses increasingly greater dosages to attain the same euphoric benefits, and once the drug wears off, the addict must face painful physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. An overdose of narcotics can cause the central nervous system to become profoundly depressed, resulting in respiratory failure and death.

The synthetic opioid methadone, which, while addictive, suppresses the addict's urge for heroin while providing no disruptive pleasurable effects of its own, is probably the most successful treatment for narcotics abusers.

In terms of medicine, narcotics are among the most potent painkillers available, but they must be used with extreme caution due to their addictive potential. They are frequently given to cancer patients who are in excruciating pain. Narcotics appear to alleviate not only pain, but also the suffering, worry, dread, and panic that come with severe pain. Addiction issues are mainly unimportant because terminal cancer patients frequently do not have long to live, and providing an acceptable quality of life may be the most important concern.

Narcotic antagonists are substances that stop narcotics' actions and reverse their effects; narcotics work on narcotic receptors in the brain to create their various effects, whereas narcotic antagonists block these receptors and prevent narcotics from reaching them and exerting their effects. Naloxone, naltrexone, and nalorphine are examples of narcotic antagonists. They are used to counteract the effects of a narcotic overdose and can often save the victim's life. Naloxone can be delivered as a nasal spray or as an injection.

mifepristone

drug

Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid medication that is used to induce abortion in the first few weeks of pregnancy under several brand names (e.g., RU-486, Mifegyne, Mifeprex). Mifepristone is an antiprogestin, which means it inhibits the activity of progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone that helps the uterus prepare for the implantation of a fertilised ovum and the maintenance of a growing embryo and placenta. The medicine is taken orally in a specified dose during the first seven to nine weeks of pregnancy, and the uterine lining begins to degrade within two days, causing bleeding that is comparable to menstrual flow. The mifepristone is subsequently followed by a dosage of the synthetic prostaglandin misoprostol (given orally or as a vaginal suppository), which induces the uterus to contract. In a procedure comparable to spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage, the embryo and other uterine contents are ejected. In some circumstances, the induced abortion is incomplete and must be followed by a surgical operation, the most frequent of which is vacuum aspiration. The most common adverse effects are cramping, bleeding, and nausea, dizziness, and back pain, which are all normal miscarriage symptoms. The medicine is not recommended for ectopic pregnancy (when a fertilised ovum is deposited outside the uterus, such as in one of the fallopian tubes), and it does not consistently terminate pregnancies beyond the first few weeks.

Mifepristone was created in the 1980s by the pharmaceutical company Roussel-Uclaf and first commercialised in France in 1988. Since then, it has been approved for use in a variety of nations, often against the protests of anti-abortion groups and with the enthusiastic backing of abortion-rights organisations. Mifepristone is relatively safe for women, and it may be given quickly and quietly even in clinics that do not have surgical abortion equipment. The mifepristone dose is supplied under medical supervision, while the prostaglandin is given at home, where contractions and ejection also occur. Because of these benefits, medical abortion with mifepristone is likely to become the most popular procedure for ending early pregnancies.

generic medication

A generic drug is a therapeutic substance that is identical to a brand-name medicine in terms of its intended use, bodily effects, and disposition within the body.

Every medicine has a generic name; nevertheless, most are marketed nearly exclusively under a brand name until their patents expire. Other companies may start producing and selling the generic version at that point. Because generic medication manufacturers save the costs of research and development, clinical trials, regulatory approval, and marketing associated with brand-name drugs, generic drugs are typically sold at a substantially cheaper price than brand-name drugs. Generic medications are less expensive than brand-name drugs, making them more accessible to health-care professionals and patients. Generic medications are mostly regulated based on their bioequivalence (degree of resemblance) to brand-name drugs. Generic medications must have the same active components as their brand-name counterparts, as well as meet the same manufacturing standards. They must also be the same strength, administered via the same method, and have acceptable safety and effectiveness profiles.

When a patent for a brand-name drug has expired, a patent was never issued, the patent will not be violated, or the patent is not enforceable in the nation where the generic drug is made and sold, the creation of a generic drug is permissible. If a corporation can prove that the original brand-name drug patent was invalid or unenforceable, it can produce a generic medication. Many corporations with brand-name pharmaceuticals develop their own generic product or licence the product to generic companies in preparation of patent expiration. Some countries have also authorised generic medication producers to make treatments to treat significant diseases when their health-care systems cannot afford to pay for brand-name drugs.

emetic

drug

Any substance that causes nausea and vomiting is known as an emetic. Emetics are only used to treat poisoning caused by certain poisons that have been consumed. Ipecac syrup, made from the dried roots of Carapichea ipecacuanha, a plant native to Brazil and Central America, was the most often used medicine for this purpose, though its usage is now discouraged.

eflornithine

drug

eflornithine is a medication that is used to treat late-stage African trypanosomiasis. It is also known as -difluoromethylornithine or DFMO (sleeping sickness). Eflornithine is only effective against Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, the parasite that causes sleeping sickness in Gambian (or West African) people. It is ineffective against T. brucei rhodesiense, which causes sleeping sickness among Rhodesians (or East Africans).

Throughout the 1990s, eflornithine's use was restricted due to its high cost and scarcity. In the early 2000s, however, demand for eflornithine skyrocketed as it was discovered to be more successful than melarsoprol in treating late-stage Gambian sleeping sickness. Ornithine decarboxylase, an enzyme that catalyses the formation of amine-based chemicals involved in cell division and differentiation, is inhibited by eflornithine. Combination therapy are being explored to prevent the emergence of eflornithine-resistant trypanosomes. The combination of eflornithine and nifurtimox, a nitrofuran chemical used in the treatment of Chagas disease caused by T. cruzi, a parasite closely related to T. brucei, is the most successful.

Because eflornithine has been proven to inhibit tumour cell proliferation, it has being studied for use in the treatment of some malignancies. The findings of such investigations, however, have been varied. Eflornithine's most potential anticancer application is as a topical chemopreventative drug for patients who are at high risk of skin cancer.