POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 75 a general sense of wellbeing by reduced tension, anxiety, and aggression. Although painkillers have different potencies and are taken in different ways, when they are used incorrectly they all pose a risk for addiction and other serious effects. Some of the most well known painkillers are listed below with the names you might find on a prescription label. Codeine: like morphine, this is found in opium, is weaker in action than morphine, and is used especially as a painkiller. Fentanyl (and fentanyl analogs): a manmade opioid painkiller similar to morphine that is administered as a skin patch or orally. Morphine: the powerful, active ingredient of opium is used as a painkiller and sedative. Opium: from the opium poppy, formerly used in medicine to soothe pain but is now often replaced by derivative alkaloids (as morphine or codeine) or manmade substitutes (opioids). Hydrocodone: often combined with acetaminophen for use as a painkiller. Vicodin (which is not available in Canada, but can be found in the USA) is an example. Oxycodone: a narcotic painkiller, for example Percocet and Percodan. Street or slang terms for painkillers. Oxies, OC, oxycotton, 80s, percs, vikes, and vikings are commonly used. Opioid painkillers are the prescription drugs most often used nonmedically by young people. According to the 2019 CAMH OSDUHS study, one in ten high school students (Grade 7 – 12) reported using a prescription opioid pain reliever at least once during the past 12 months. In Ontario alone that represents 95,000 students. In Canada as a whole, it’s estimated that approximately 310,000 Canadian students have taken prescription drugs not prescribed to them. (DFKC estimate based on 2019 CAMH OSDUHS study). There are several ways painkillers can be taken. Most teens report swallowing pills, but they can also be crushed and snorted for an intensified effect. Since these substances slow breathing, their combined effects could lead to lifethreatening respiratory depression. If you or your teen is already taking a prescribed painkiller, always consult with your physician before taking any other medicine. Know the signs of an opioid overdose! Physical signs of opioid overdose include pinpoint pupils, cold and clammy skin, confusion, convulsions, severe drowsiness, and slow or troubled breathing, nausea, confusion, constipation, sedation, respiratory arrest, unconsciousness, coma, and death. Naloxone is one kind of medication called opiate receptor antagonists which acts by blocking the effects of opiate drugs. If someone in your family is problematically using opioids and/or street drugs or who has a substance use disorder to opioids, be sure to keep Naloxone in the home. If you see your teen or anyone else in this state, call 911 immediately. Learn more about drugs continued Please refer to www.drugfreekidscanada.org for more info on prescription drugs, illegal drugs & other substances
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