Opioid

How it is used

Used for moderate to severe pain. Common side effects are constipation, nausea and drowsiness; the most dangerous is slowed breathing. Most strong opioids are controlled drugs. Pharmacists counsel on safe use, check doses carefully and in some countries supply naloxone, the opioid antidote.

Example sentences

1. Patients on regular opioids often need a laxative as well.

2. Is this opioid dose higher than what she was given in hospital?

Common collocations

• opioid analgesic
• strong opioid
• opioid dependence
• opioid overdose
• opioid-induced constipation

Related terms

• analgesicA medicine that relieves pain without making the patient unconscious, from simple products such as paracetamol to strong opioids such as morphine.
• controlled drugA medicine with a risk of misuse or dependence, such as morphine or some sleeping tablets, whose prescribing, storage and records are strictly controlled by law.
• dependenceA state in which the body has adapted to a drug, so that stopping it suddenly causes withdrawal symptoms; it can be physical, psychological or both.
• toleranceA reduced response to a drug after repeated use, so that a higher dose is needed to get the same effect as before.
• antagonistA drug that binds to a receptor without activating it and so blocks the effect of the body's own substances or of other drugs.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• opioid · Medicine

More terms: Drug Classes

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