Codeine belongs to the drug class opiates. Opiates include all naturally occurring drugs with morphine-like effects and all semi and fully synthetic drugs with morphine-like effects such as heroin and meperidine (Demerol).

Fentanyl, administered in the Duragesic Patch, is a powerful narcotic for serious pain. It is generally prescribed for long-lasting relief from persistent and chronic pain. The Duragesic patch should only be used when other medicines have proved ineffective and pain needs to be controlled 24/7.

Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is the most frequently abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Heroin is made from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants

Lortab combines a narcotic analgesic and cough reliever with a non-narcotic analgesic for the relief of moderate to moderately severe pain.

About 20% of the estimated 810,000 heroin addicts in the United States receive MMT (American Methadone Treatment Association, 1999). At present, the operating practices of clinics and hospitals are bound by Federal regulations that restrict the use and availability of methadone.

Opioids are commonly prescribed because of their effective analgesic, or pain-relieving, properties. Medications that fall within this class - sometimes referred to as narcotics - include morphine, codeine, and related drugs. Morphine, for example, is often used before or after surgery to alleviate severe pain.

The abuse of oxycodone products in general has increased in recent years. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has published a study, which examines two data collection sources. The DEA Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS) data tracks the distribution of oxycodone and other opioid analgesics and the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Medical Examiner (ME) and Emergency Department (ED) data ascertained the health consequences associated with its abuse from 1990 to 1996.

Percocet is a narcotic (oxycodone) and acetaminophen combination. Oxycodone is similar to other narcotics in terms of effect and addiction. Acetaminophen is better known as Tylenol.

Most people who take prescription medications take them responsibly; however, the abuse of prescription drugs remains a serious public health concern. Certain prescription drugs - opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and stimulants - when abused, can alter the brain's activity and lead to dependence and possibly addiction.

Vicodin addiction is a growing crisis in the United States. Many individuals may be surprised to know that the federal Drug Enforcement Administration believes Vicodin could be the most abused prescription drug in the country. Nationwide, its use has quadrupled in the last ten years, while emergency room visits attributed to Vicodin abuse soared 500 percent.

Choosing the right drug rehab, including methadone treatment clinics, is a difficult job at the best of times. When confronted with all the issues standing between you and getting either yourself or your loved one on the road to recovery, it can seem almost insurmountable. However, help is available, regardless of the circumstances.