An illicit (in the United States) opioid synthesized from morphine. Heroin, a white or brown powder that is injected intravenously or smoked in glass pipes, is the most commonly abused narcotic. Heroin has a high physical dependence capacity; usually injected intravenously.
A semisynthetic opiate, synthesized by Bayer Laboratories in 1874.
A narcotic drug in the form of a white powder derived from morphine.
The strongest and most addictive opiate drug.
Strongly addictive drug made from morphine; it has no medical uses in the United States but is widely abused.
A white crystalline powder derived from morphine but with a shorter duration of action. Like morphine it is a powerful narcotic analgesic whose continued use leads to dependence. Its use in the US is illegal.
Also known as diacetyl morphine or diamorphine, this Class A controlled drug is an opiate a group which includes morphine, codeine, pethidine and methadone. It is a powerful analgesic and cough suppressant, but its capacity to produce euphoria rapidly induces dependence. Popular with addicts, its mostly pleasant effects soon develop tolerance. The need to inject the drug, with associated risks of HIV infection, is relevant to its use by addicts. Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, insomnia, muscle cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea; signs include dilated pupils, raised pulse rate, and disturbed temperature control. Although rarely life-threatening, the effects of withdrawal may cause great distress, and for this reason methadone, which has a slower and less severe withdrawal syndrome, is commonly used when weaning addicts off heroin. Legally still available to doctors in the UK, heroin is normally only used in patients with severe pain, for example from myocardial infarction, or to comfort the dying.
An opioid derived from morphine, whose importation, sale, and use are illegal in the U.S.
Heroin (sometimes called smack, junk, H, and hard stuff) is a psychoactive drug and an opiate. Pure heroin is a white powder with a bitter taste. It is a semisynthetic drug made by treating morphine with acetic anhydride to yield diacetylmorphine. Heroin is an illegal and highly addictive narcotic.
A highly addictive pain-relieving drug that is made from poppies and that produces great calm and drowsiness.
An illicit and highly addictive narcotic derived from morphine, extensively misused for its euphoric properties.
Heroin is a narcotic drug that closely resembles morphine. When used for medical reasons, it is typically referred to as diamorphine. However, heroin is also commonly abused for its mind-altering effects.
A substance derived from morphine, which is itself derived from opium. It is a potent painkiller, but due to the potential for causing drug addiction, it is reserved for use in exceptionally severe or terminally ill patients.