Rochelle Odell, Columnist

Like many of you, I use the words opioids and opiates interchangeably. I incorrectly thought one was singular and the other plural. It pays to look up definitions before using a word!

Merriam Webster defines opiate as “a drug containing or derived from opium and tending to induce sleep and alleviate pain.”  The first known use of the word “opiate” was in the 15th century. Natural forms of opiates include morphine, codeine, heroin and opium.  

Merriam Webster defines opioid as “possessing some properties characteristic of opiate narcotics but not derived from opium.”  Interestingly, the first known use of the word “opioid” was not until the 1950’s. Two of the most widely prescribed pain medications, oxycodone and hydrocodone, are opioids.

Just Believe Recovery, an addiction treatment center in Florida, has a straightforward explanation of the difference between opiates and opioids on its website:

“Opiates are alkaloids derived from the opium poppy. Opium is a strong pain relieving medication, and a number of drugs are also made from this source.”

“Opioids are synthetic or partly-synthetic drugs that are manufactured to work in a similar way to opiates. Their active ingredients are made via chemical synthesis. Opioids may act like opiates when taken for pain because they have similar molecules.”

But neither opiates or opioids make pain go away – what they do is temporarily block pain signals.  

"Both of these types of drugs alter the way that pain is perceived, as opposed to making the pain go away. They attach onto molecules that protrude from certain nerve cells in the brain called opioid receptors. Once they are attached, the nerve cells send messages to the brain that are not accurate measures of the severity of the pain that the body is experiencing. Thus the person who has taken the drug experiences less pain," is how Just Believe Recovery explains it.

The problem with this definition is that it fails to address why an addict uses heroin and other narcotics. It's not to relieve physical pain, it's for the euphoric effect or high. Big difference.

I can attest to that feeling. Years before I developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), I was hit by a beginner snow skier, who caused a nasty spiral leg fracture. I screamed in pain for what seemed like hours, until a Demerol shot was given. It still hurt, a lot, I just didn't care that it hurt.

A week after the accident, I received a call from my orthopedist (who ultimately saved my left leg) informing me I must get to the hospital for immediate surgery. It turned out that my broken leg had not been reset and cast properly. A rod was inserted to correct the problem, but the post-op pain was excruciating.

I was on strong opioids for the next three weeks, until I had to go back to work and stopped cold turkey. I needed to work with a clear mind, and it was going to hurt whether I was at home or work. I had no cravings for pain medication and no addiction developed. Simply didn't need them.

However, after I developed CRPS and slowly titrated up on Dilaudid, the pain was different than it was from the broken leg. The relief obtained was not the "I don't care" reaction, but one of the pain is less, now I can do what needs to be done at work or at home. That’s the classic difference between acute, short term pain and chronic pain.

"When people use these medications only to treat pain as directed and for a short time, they are less likely to become addicted. Prescription drug addiction occurs when patients develop a tolerance for the level of medication they have been described and no longer get the same level of relief," is how Just Believe Recovery explains it.

"They may not have the same expectations for relief as their physicians and may equate the term ‘painkillers’ with the medication being able to take away all of their pain, while their doctor may be thinking in terms of pain management, which means bringing the pain to a level where they can function at a reasonable manner. When expectations do not match, patients may take more of the pain medication than prescribed to get a higher level of relief and in turn develop a drug addiction issue."

The CDC and several states have now decided to establish what acute pain is and how long it should be treated with opioids, be it three or five or seven days.

But if you suffer from a chronic pain disease or condition, a few days’ supply won’t cut it. You require the medication long term in order to function. Not addicted mind you, you just want the pain at bay. We all know pain medication does not “kill” the pain. It just becomes tolerable. Most pain patients do not increase their pain medication and many, including me, have been on stable doses of opioids for many years.

We also know pain patients are not the driving force in today's misguided opioid crisis or public health emergency or whatever you wish to call it. Illicit drug users are, and they are primarily young adults who snort, smoke or inject heroin and illicit fentanyl. Many are addicts who are in methadone clinics, and they still abuse not only the methadone but other drugs as well.

It's like everyone in power or who is affiliated with rehab has blinders on. Pain patients have become the issue, yet statistics clearly show we are not the problem. The rate for opioid abuse in pain patients is at or less than 5 percent.  Why are patients singled out in this battle?  Even the CDC admits opioid prescriptions are no longer the driving force in the overdose crisis. I believe they never were.

Opiates and opioids are not the same, and should be addressed separately. Instead, they have become interchangeable. We don’t have a heroin or opiate epidemic; we have an “opioid epidemic.”  The government usually lumps them together as one. And, as we all know, what the government decides somehow becomes set in stone.

Rochelle Odell lives in California. She’s lived for nearly 25 years with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS/RSD).

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represents the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Pain News Network.