8 ms·

Having never tried any hard drugs or the mentioned concoctions, pardon my basic question -- what effects does consuming opium have? Is it like consuming modern

by ultimoo 10y ago

Having never tried any hard drugs or the mentioned concoctions, pardon my basic question -- what effects does consuming opium have? Is it like consuming modern day heroin? Does it imitate what people feel after smoking pot? Just trying to understand why people consumed it -- the article mentions pain relieving uses as well as 'taking the edge off' uses.

6stringmerc 10y ago
Most depictions I've come across - and having been given opiates in medical situations - allude to it being like a dream-state. A bit of euphoria. Feeling so good you don't want to move. Hence the attraction for repeating the experience.
mattnewton 10y ago
I have never tried opium but given many painkillers are called "Opiates" I imagine they all share the same fundamental mechanism of opium and feel like different flavors of each other. Quite unlike marijuana then. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiate https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiate
kleer001 10y ago
https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/opium/opium.shtml https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/opium/opium.shtml
pstuart 10y ago
Physical pain melts away and there's a sense of "feeling really good". It's not mind altering like cannabis, more like relaxed taken to the next level. Or so I've heard....
55555 10y ago
It's an analgesic. All opiates feel pretty similar; heroin and codeine are really not too different. When you take a lot of either, it feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Opium IIRC is a natural mixture of morphine and codeine among some other alkaloids, but primarily those two. You can buy opium in the US in the form of "unwashed" poppy seeds (The seeds are from the pod and are coated in opium, which is typically washed off), which I don't particularly recommend due to safety and legal reasons, but that's up to you ofcourse. Source: I have tried my share drugs and smoked opium in rural parts of Asia several times.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
mtdewcmu 10y ago
"Narcotic" means numbing, and that's an accurate description IMO. Reports of euphoria are exaggerated. It feels good if you are feeling pain or malaise and it takes the pain or malaise away. Otherwise it doesn't feel like much.
- Nursie 10y ago
  Having experienced euphoria once or twice from codeine (>100mg) I would dispute that.
  - elevensies 10y ago
    2nding this, I've been given IV narcotics a couple times in-hospital and it created a noticeable feeling within ten seconds or so. I would say the closet analog I can think of would be slipping into a warm bath, if slipping into a warm bath also made you feel a little drunk. My only experience with numbing is the dental anesthetic they use in your mouth, which I don't recall producing much sensations but it does noticeably take sensation away.
    - chimeracoder 10y ago
      > My only experience with numbing is the dental anesthetic they use in your mouth, which I don't recall producing much sensations but it does noticeably take sensation away. Those aren't narcotics (most likely). It was probably Novocaine or Lidocaine. Those drugs end in -caine because they're all part of the same family as cocaine, which is not actually a narcotic (but does have euphoric effects at sufficient dosing levels!). Topical use of any of those drugs, however, will likely not produce euphoria.
    - mtdewcmu 10y ago
      If you were given narcotics in the hospital, then there must have been a reason. I said that if you have pain, and the drug takes it away, it feels good.
      - elevensies 10y ago
wavefunction 10y ago
Many opiates produce a euphoric feeling, which in practice means a general 'warmness' in the body and pleasurable mental state. The senses are dulled, time dilation is common and the stresses and concerns of life are forgotten or at least reduced in importance. For someone experiencing pain whether physical or emotional, the opportunity to escape that pain seems to me to be understandable if not well advised. Opium -which I have tried once- was lovely. I don't like other opiates though, they provoke a minor allergic reaction consisting of itchiness and uncomfortable warmness I did not experience with opium. These were hydrocodone and other legally and appropriately prescribed medicines for a serious injury.
tn135 10y ago
Opium would be a cross between pot and morphine. Its primary usage has been painkiller. Even as a child in India I remember using opium based oil as painkiller for tooth pain.
opiate_eng 10y ago
I was an opiate addict for 10 years, and still use a bit. Never bought off the street; always got pharma connects, except for opium which I got some a local guy with some flowers. During the whole time I've been a software engineer, and done some cool stuff. I'm also bipolar, and opiates have been my treatment. Opiates don't make you dumb like pot. I'm totally functional, indeed, more functional (as evaluated by third parties inc medical professionals) when using opiates. Opiates are amazing. They take away a lot of depression. I got up to 50mg of oxy a day, which is quite modest and very inexpensive. It made me happy. Melted away worries. At one of my startups, we got crossed by a partner, almost had to fire everyone. The stress was paralysing - business partner attempted suicide. Me? Start the day with oxy and feel ready to take on things. Even now, it can change that morning lethargic everything-sucks-why-don't-I-binge-Star-Trek-or-kill-myself into "hey I'm gonna write some software". The other comments describe it alright - a warm happy dream. It's quite pleasurable even if you're by yourself; you can spend hours just "nodding" off, in and out of consciousness. It's quite sublime. The peace is so powerful, that a few times when I was being self destructive and got to the edge of OD, I noticed but simply didn't care. I'm more careful nowadays, though oral opiates are quite safe if you don't act reckless. IV opiates step it up a bit. Users talk of a rush. It's similar to an oncoming amazing orgasm x10, then the warmness floods your body and everything's perfect and you might even gasp for breath it's that good. I think part of that is just the IV, and having a huge shift so quickly. For instance, there's a rush when IV'ing midazolam (dangerous, do not use without medical supervision), right before you pass out. I've gone off opiates a few times. It wasn't as an enjoyable life. The only downsides are constipation (eh, saves time) and possibly lower testosterone (as someone often manic, lower libido is great - but it's easy to get TRT anyways.) I've not seen much as far as long-term damage from use.
- danmaz74 10y ago
  > I've not seen much as far as long-term damage from use Isn't addiction the biggest problem, requiring increasingly higher doses to achieve the same effect?

by ultimoo 10y ago

6stringmerc 10y ago

Most depictions I've come across - and having been given opiates in medical situations - allude to it being like a dream-state. A bit of euphoria. Feeling so good you don't want to move. Hence the attraction for repeating the experience.

mattnewton 10y ago

I have never tried opium but given many painkillers are called "Opiates" I imagine they all share the same fundamental mechanism of opium and feel like different flavors of each other. Quite unlike marijuana then. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiate https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiate

kleer001 10y ago

https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/opium/opium.shtml https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/opium/opium.shtml

pstuart 10y ago

Physical pain melts away and there's a sense of "feeling really good". It's not mind altering like cannabis, more like relaxed taken to the next level. Or so I've heard....

55555 10y ago

It's an analgesic. All opiates feel pretty similar; heroin and codeine are really not too different. When you take a lot of either, it feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Opium IIRC is a natural mixture of morphine and codeine among some other alkaloids, but primarily those two. You can buy opium in the US in the form of "unwashed" poppy seeds (The seeds are from the pod and are coated in opium, which is typically washed off), which I don't particularly recommend due to safety and legal reasons, but that's up to you ofcourse. Source: I have tried my share drugs and smoked opium in rural parts of Asia several times.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

mtdewcmu 10y ago

"Narcotic" means numbing, and that's an accurate description IMO. Reports of euphoria are exaggerated. It feels good if you are feeling pain or malaise and it takes the pain or malaise away. Otherwise it doesn't feel like much.

Nursie 10y ago
Having experienced euphoria once or twice from codeine (>100mg) I would dispute that.
- elevensies 10y ago
  2nding this, I've been given IV narcotics a couple times in-hospital and it created a noticeable feeling within ten seconds or so. I would say the closet analog I can think of would be slipping into a warm bath, if slipping into a warm bath also made you feel a little drunk. My only experience with numbing is the dental anesthetic they use in your mouth, which I don't recall producing much sensations but it does noticeably take sensation away.
  - chimeracoder 10y ago
    > My only experience with numbing is the dental anesthetic they use in your mouth, which I don't recall producing much sensations but it does noticeably take sensation away. Those aren't narcotics (most likely). It was probably Novocaine or Lidocaine. Those drugs end in -caine because they're all part of the same family as cocaine, which is not actually a narcotic (but does have euphoric effects at sufficient dosing levels!). Topical use of any of those drugs, however, will likely not produce euphoria.
  - mtdewcmu 10y ago
    If you were given narcotics in the hospital, then there must have been a reason. I said that if you have pain, and the drug takes it away, it feels good.
    - elevensies 10y ago

wavefunction 10y ago

Many opiates produce a euphoric feeling, which in practice means a general 'warmness' in the body and pleasurable mental state. The senses are dulled, time dilation is common and the stresses and concerns of life are forgotten or at least reduced in importance. For someone experiencing pain whether physical or emotional, the opportunity to escape that pain seems to me to be understandable if not well advised. Opium -which I have tried once- was lovely. I don't like other opiates though, they provoke a minor allergic reaction consisting of itchiness and uncomfortable warmness I did not experience with opium. These were hydrocodone and other legally and appropriately prescribed medicines for a serious injury.

tn135 10y ago

Opium would be a cross between pot and morphine. Its primary usage has been painkiller. Even as a child in India I remember using opium based oil as painkiller for tooth pain.

opiate_eng 10y ago

I was an opiate addict for 10 years, and still use a bit. Never bought off the street; always got pharma connects, except for opium which I got some a local guy with some flowers. During the whole time I've been a software engineer, and done some cool stuff. I'm also bipolar, and opiates have been my treatment. Opiates don't make you dumb like pot. I'm totally functional, indeed, more functional (as evaluated by third parties inc medical professionals) when using opiates. Opiates are amazing. They take away a lot of depression. I got up to 50mg of oxy a day, which is quite modest and very inexpensive. It made me happy. Melted away worries. At one of my startups, we got crossed by a partner, almost had to fire everyone. The stress was paralysing - business partner attempted suicide. Me? Start the day with oxy and feel ready to take on things. Even now, it can change that morning lethargic everything-sucks-why-don't-I-binge-Star-Trek-or-kill-myself into "hey I'm gonna write some software". The other comments describe it alright - a warm happy dream. It's quite pleasurable even if you're by yourself; you can spend hours just "nodding" off, in and out of consciousness. It's quite sublime. The peace is so powerful, that a few times when I was being self destructive and got to the edge of OD, I noticed but simply didn't care. I'm more careful nowadays, though oral opiates are quite safe if you don't act reckless. IV opiates step it up a bit. Users talk of a rush. It's similar to an oncoming amazing orgasm x10, then the warmness floods your body and everything's perfect and you might even gasp for breath it's that good. I think part of that is just the IV, and having a huge shift so quickly. For instance, there's a rush when IV'ing midazolam (dangerous, do not use without medical supervision), right before you pass out. I've gone off opiates a few times. It wasn't as an enjoyable life. The only downsides are constipation (eh, saves time) and possibly lower testosterone (as someone often manic, lower libido is great - but it's easy to get TRT anyways.) I've not seen much as far as long-term damage from use.

danmaz74 10y ago
> I've not seen much as far as long-term damage from use Isn't addiction the biggest problem, requiring increasingly higher doses to achieve the same effect?