Explain the effects opiates have on the mind and body

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Recreational opiate use in the United States involves a range of drugs other than heroin itself, but we will concentrate on the acute effects from the perspective of the
heroin abuser. The intensity of a response to heroin changes as a function of (1) the quantity and purity of the heroin taken, (2) the route through which heroin is administered, (3) the interval since the previous dose of heroin, and (4) the degree of tolerance of the user to heroin itself.

There are psychological factors related to the setting, circumstances, and expectations of the user that make an important difference in what an individual feels after taking heroin.

If heroin is injected intravenously, there is an almost immediate tingling sensation and sudden feeling of warmth in the lower abdomen, resembling a sexual orgasm, for the first minute or two. There is a feeling of intense euphoria, variously described as a "rush" or a "flash," followed later by a state of tranquil drowsiness that heroin abusers often call being "on the nod." During this period, which lasts from three to four hours, any interest in sex is greatly diminished. In the case of male heroin abusers, the decline in sexual desire is due, at least in part, to the fact that opiates reduce the levels of testosterone, the male sex hormone.
An individual's first-time experience with heroin may be considerably unpleasant. Opiates in general cause nausea and vomiting, as the reflex centers in the brain are suddenly stimulated. Some first-time abusers find the vomiting so aversive that they never try the drug
again; others consider the discomfort largely irrelevant because the euphoria is so powerful.
There are a number of additional physiological changes in the body. A sudden release of histamine in the bloodstream produces an often intense itching over the entire body and a reddening of the eyes. Heroin also causes pupillary constriction, resulting in the characteristic "pinpoint pupils" that are used as an important diagnostic sign for narcotic abuse in general. Like sedative-hypnotic drugs heroin reduces the sensitivity of respiratory centers in the medulla to levels of carbon dioxide, resulting in a depression in breathing.

At high doses, respiratory depression is a major risk factor that can result in death.
Blood pressure is also depressed from heroin intake. Finally, a distressing, though nonlethal, effect of heroin is the slowing down of the gastrointestinal tract, causing a labored defecation and intense constipation.