Where did Opium originate from? Opium comes from the opium poppy. The opium can only be harvested for only a few days of the plants life. The opium is extracted by cutting shallow cuts in the unripe seedpods. During the night a liquid seeps through and oxidizes to red brown. This raw opium is then collected and sold (Hart, Ksir, Hebb,Gilbert & Black, 2012).
Discovery of Opioids
Natural Opioids
Opium
Opium originated in Middle East thousands of years ago. It was discovered that for seven to ten days of the year, Papaver somniferum produced a substance that provided relief from suffering and pain. It has been suggested that opium use in Egypt and Greece occurred around 1500 BCE. Knowledge of opium use in medicine disappeared during the Dark Ages in Europe. The Arabic world was using opium extensively during this time period and were even exporting opium to India and China in exchange for their goods. By early sixteenth century, opium began making an appearance in European medical practice (Hart et. al., 2012).
Semi-SyntheticMorphine
In 1806, a report based on research done by German pharmacist's assistant Frederich Serturner isolated an agent in opium that had ten times the potency of that of opium. He called this new substance morphium. Opium, itself, was later found to contain 30 more different alkaloids, one of which was codeine, isolated in 1832. The increased use of morphine resulted from the advancement of the hypodermic syringe in 1853 by Dr. Alexander Wood. Morphine use became popular in war settings where it was used to provide relief from pain caused by injuries. As a result, soldiers returning from combat usually showed withdrawal symptoms (Hart et. al., 2012). Heroin
Heroin, first discovered in 1874 by attaching two acetyl groups to morphine, entered the market in 1898 by Bayer Laboratories as a non-addictive and more potent replacement for codeine. By attaching the two acetyl groups, heroin, originally called diacetylmorphine, was able pass the blood-brain barrier more easily than codeine. Heroin, first used in small oral doses, later demonstrated to have high dependence liability with the practice of injecting high doses (Hart et. al., 2012). OxyContin
Oxycontin, which was first introduced into the market by a Stamford, Connecticut pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma contains the ingrediate of Oxycodone which had existed for many decades. What made Oxycontin revolutionary was drug's ability to provide pain relief over a 12 hour period. Before oxycontin, pain relievers would provide relief for 2 to 3 years after administration meaning that the drug would have to be administered several times a day for individuals who were experiencing chronic pain. In recent years, problems have arisen from the fact that when crushed and injected, the time release mechanism is circumvented, allowing the drug user to get an immediate high from the drug, creating higher dependence liability (OxyContin: The History of OxyContin, 2013).
Synthetic
Methadone Methadone is a 'synthetic' form of opioid which was created in Germany during the Second World War. First used as a way to treat pain relief in soldiers. It is used most commonly to treat addiction to other opioid drugs such as heroin, oxycodone (e.g., OxyContin) and hydromorphone (e.g., Dilaudid). Methadone maintenance treatment, which prevents opioid withdrawal symptoms and reduces or eliminates drug cravings, was first developed in the 1960s. Methadone is also sometimes prescribed to provide pain relief for people who have severe chronic pain or pain associated with terminal illness (Do You Know...Methadone, 2011).
Opium comes from the opium poppy. The opium can only be harvested for only a few days of the plants life. The opium is extracted by cutting shallow cuts in the unripe seedpods. During the night a liquid seeps through and oxidizes to red brown. This raw opium is then collected and sold (Hart, Ksir, Hebb,Gilbert & Black, 2012).
Discovery of OpioidsNatural Opioids
OpiumOpium originated in Middle East thousands of years ago. It was discovered that for seven to ten days of the year, Papaver somniferum produced a substance that provided relief from suffering and pain. It has been suggested that opium use in Egypt and Greece occurred around 1500 BCE. Knowledge of opium use in medicine disappeared during the Dark Ages in Europe. The Arabic world was using opium extensively during this time period and were even exporting opium to India and China in exchange for their goods. By early sixteenth century, opium began making an appearance in European medical practice (Hart et. al., 2012).
Semi-SyntheticMorphine
In 1806, a report based on research done by German pharmacist's assistant Frederich Serturner isolated an agent in opium that had ten times the potency of that of opium. He called this new substance morphium. Opium, itself, was later found to contain 30 more different alkaloids, one of which was codeine, isolated in 1832. The increased use of morphine resulted from the advancement of the hypodermic syringe in 1853 by Dr. Alexander Wood. Morphine use became popular in war settings where it was used to provide relief from pain caused by injuries. As a result, soldiers returning from combat usually showed withdrawal symptoms (Hart et. al., 2012).
Heroin
Heroin, first discovered in 1874 by attaching two acetyl groups to morphine, entered the market in 1898 by Bayer Laboratories as a non-addictive and more potent replacement for codeine. By attaching the two acetyl groups, heroin, originally called diacetylmorphine, was able pass the blood-brain barrier more easily than codeine. Heroin, first used in small oral doses, later demonstrated to have high dependence liability with the practice of injecting high doses (Hart et. al., 2012).
OxyContin
Oxycontin, which was first introduced into the market by a Stamford, Connecticut pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma contains the ingrediate of Oxycodone which had existed for many decades. What made Oxycontin revolutionary was drug's ability to provide pain relief over a 12 hour period. Before oxycontin, pain relievers would provide relief for 2 to 3 years after administration meaning that the drug would have to be administered several times a day for individuals who were experiencing chronic pain. In recent years, problems have arisen from the fact that when crushed and injected, the time release mechanism is circumvented, allowing the drug user to get an immediate high from the drug, creating higher dependence liability (OxyContin: The History of OxyContin, 2013).
Synthetic
MethadoneMethadone is a 'synthetic' form of opioid which was created in Germany during the Second World War. First used as a way to treat pain relief in soldiers. It is used most commonly to treat addiction to other opioid drugs such as heroin, oxycodone (e.g., OxyContin) and hydromorphone (e.g., Dilaudid). Methadone maintenance treatment, which prevents opioid withdrawal symptoms and reduces or eliminates drug cravings, was first developed in the 1960s. Methadone is also sometimes prescribed to provide pain relief for people who have severe chronic pain or pain associated with terminal illness (Do You Know...Methadone, 2011).