heroin

n. a highly addictive opioid that is a synthetic analog of morphine and three times more potent. In many countries, including Great Britain and Canada, it is used clinically for pain management (see diacetylmorphine), but it is not legally available in the United States due to concerns about its potential for abuse. Its rapid onset of action leads to an intense initial high, followed by a period of euphoria and a sense of well-being. As a street drug, heroin is commonly injected intravenously or subcutaneously (called skin popping). Injection using shared needles is a common mechanism of transmission of HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases. It can also be ingested nasally (snorted) or smoked. See opioid intoxication; opioid use disorder; opioid withdrawal.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

November 17th 2024

opioid antagonist

an agent that acts as an antagonist at opioid receptors. Generally, opioid antagonists are synthetic derivatives of morphine that, as a result of structural changes in the molecule, bind to opioid receptors but do not produce the effects of euphoria, respiratory depression, or analgesia that are observed with opioid agonists. Opioid antagonists may be complete (pure) or mixed. Complete antagonists, such as naloxone, naltrexone, nalmefene (U.S. trade name: Revex), and nalorphine, are generally used to reverse the effects of opiate overdose (notably respiratory depression). Mixed agonist–antagonist opioids, such as butorphanol and pentazocine (U.S. trade name: Talwin), were developed in attempts to produce opioid analgesics that did not possess the abuse potential of opioid agonists. Also called narcotic antagonist.