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> Opiates do not stop your heart. The notion that every single usage of opium or heroin is like a game of russian roulette, that might stop your heart, is fanta

> Opiates do not stop your heart. The notion that every single usage of opium or heroin is like a game of russian roulette, that might stop your heart, is fantasy. Opiates are actually quite safe, as drugs go. They, in large doses, stop your breathing which is close enough and will kill you (like you later said), unlike, say a benzodiazepine which you can take to your hearts content and will just knock you out senseless without killing you (unless you add alcohol or another GABA receptor drug). They also can send you into a hypotensive crisis if you're hypovolemic, which also will kill you. So I would really be hesistant to call them "quite safe, as drugs go" because they are definitely on the dangerous spectrum. We could list a ton of drugs I'd rank higher on the safety spectrum than opioids in terms of both short and long-term effects, with opioids only "redeeming" quality being their instant reverse agent (naloxone) or partial reverse agents (pentazocine or buprenorphine).

nullymcnull 13y ago
Did you read the quoted sentence before replying? I'm not unaware that the consequences of high doses are respiratory shutdown and death. All I'm trying to get across is that taking a moderate dose of an opiate is exceedingly unlikely to suddenly kill the naive user, as the article suggests - less so than with say, coke or meth, which can interact poorly with a wider range of health conditions and other substances. None of which is to say that I endorse the use of opiates or recommend them. I am generally all for responsible drug use, but nearly everyone who thinks they can responsibly 'manage' the use of heavy opiates ends up losing that gamble eventually. And the costs are very, very high.
- CasimirCelerity 13y ago
  Did you read my response where i said "like you later said" then went on to list another life threatening issue with opioids, as well as your statement that it's a pretty safe drug is actually very wrong when you compare its side effect and safety profile to the vast majority of drugs on the market?
  - nullymcnull 13y ago
    My apologies, for both my tone and for overlooking your reference back. I think 'vast majority' of drugs is overstating it a bit, but still - I very much understand where you're coming from and do not disagree. I regret saying that "Opiates are actually quite safe, as drugs go." I think it has some validity in it's hastily-written context, mostly concerned with countering the article author's cluelessness on his subject. In moderate dosage and without mixing substances, it's basically true - though I'm admittedly coming at it from the perspective of a long-time recreational drug user, hardly that of an upstanding mentor to the young and impressionable here. It's obviously a reckless thing to say in any context, and I would certainly hope that no-one takes it as guidance.

nullymcnull 13y ago

Did you read the quoted sentence before replying? I'm not unaware that the consequences of high doses are respiratory shutdown and death. All I'm trying to get across is that taking a moderate dose of an opiate is exceedingly unlikely to suddenly kill the naive user, as the article suggests - less so than with say, coke or meth, which can interact poorly with a wider range of health conditions and other substances. None of which is to say that I endorse the use of opiates or recommend them. I am generally all for responsible drug use, but nearly everyone who thinks they can responsibly 'manage' the use of heavy opiates ends up losing that gamble eventually. And the costs are very, very high.

CasimirCelerity 13y ago
Did you read my response where i said "like you later said" then went on to list another life threatening issue with opioids, as well as your statement that it's a pretty safe drug is actually very wrong when you compare its side effect and safety profile to the vast majority of drugs on the market?
- nullymcnull 13y ago
  My apologies, for both my tone and for overlooking your reference back. I think 'vast majority' of drugs is overstating it a bit, but still - I very much understand where you're coming from and do not disagree. I regret saying that "Opiates are actually quite safe, as drugs go." I think it has some validity in it's hastily-written context, mostly concerned with countering the article author's cluelessness on his subject. In moderate dosage and without mixing substances, it's basically true - though I'm admittedly coming at it from the perspective of a long-time recreational drug user, hardly that of an upstanding mentor to the young and impressionable here. It's obviously a reckless thing to say in any context, and I would certainly hope that no-one takes it as guidance.