What Is An Opiate And When Might I Need One For Pain Relief?

Dr. Shurman answers the question: 'What Is An Opiate, When Used For Pain?'

ByABC News
November 11, 2008, 3:54 PM

— -- Question: What Is An Opiate And When Is It Used For Pain Relief?

Answer: An opiate is a medication derived from opium from the poppy plant.

An example of an opiate would be morphine, codeine, and heroin which is an illegal drug. And then there are synthetic drugs similar to morphine, example: fentanyl, Dilaudid, methadone.

You may need an opioid for acute pain, trauma pain, post-operative pain, and chronic pain.Important Information Regarding Fentanyl Patch Recall

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