Difference between revisions of "Narcotic"
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(Opiods generally refer to man-made phatmacueticals) |
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| − | A '''narcotic''' is | + | A '''narcotic''' is literally a drug that induces sleep.<ref>[http://www.druglibrary.org/gh/what_is_a_narcotic.htm Drug Library, "What is a 'narcotic' drug?"]</ref> The word "narcotic" is taken from the Greek word '''narkos''', meaning "sleep." Narcotics can be either naturally grown or man-made. The term most commonly refers to such as [[heroin]], [[morphine]], and [[codeine]]. |
| − | + | The term '''narcotic''' can also be used to describe any illegal drug, including [[marijuana]] or [[cocaine]], even though these drugs are not considered narcotics in the medical context. Due to this common confusion of the term, medical professionals typically refer to [[pharmacuetical]] narcotic pain relievers as "[[opioid]]s" or "opioid analgesics." | |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 18:09, April 24, 2017
A narcotic is literally a drug that induces sleep.[1] The word "narcotic" is taken from the Greek word narkos, meaning "sleep." Narcotics can be either naturally grown or man-made. The term most commonly refers to such as heroin, morphine, and codeine.
The term narcotic can also be used to describe any illegal drug, including marijuana or cocaine, even though these drugs are not considered narcotics in the medical context. Due to this common confusion of the term, medical professionals typically refer to pharmacuetical narcotic pain relievers as "opioids" or "opioid analgesics."