Street Names for Opiates

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Opiates are narcotics derived from the opium poppy plant. Some of the most well-known opiates include opium, heroin, fentanyl, morphine, codeine, oxycodone and hydrocodone. Opiates in low doses are also included in other medicines and used in hospitals by healthcare professionals.

Opiates used in ways other than prescribed by a physician can be highly addictive, and those sold on the street can be extremely dangerous. As with any drug sold illegally, there are a variety of street names for opiates.
 

Street Names for Opium

Opium is the hardened juice from the unripe seedpods of the opium poppy plant.¹ It is a yellowish-brown or brownish-black colored substance that can have a solid or sticky texture.

Medical professionals prescribe it for medicinal purposes as a painkiller, and recreationally, it has been abused for its euphoric and calming effects. It can be smoked or eaten.

Street names include the following:

• Big O
• Black stuff
• Block
• Gum
• Hop
• Dover’s powder¹

Heroin Street Names

Heroin is a highly addictive drug that comes in varying forms, from white powder to a black, tar-like substance. The presence of impurities creates the darker shades. White heroin is the purest and most potent kind although sellers sometimes mix it with things like sugar or powdered milk to create the appearance of purity. Heroin is injected, snorted or smoked. It has no legal medical uses.

Street names include the following:

Names for Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a powerful painkilling narcotic that is about 80 percent more potent than morphine. Prescriptions such as Actiq, Duragesic and Sublimaze include fentanyl. Medical practitioners prescribe it to treat patients with severe chronic pain, cancer patients or patients in severe pain who have developed a tolerance to other opiates. Fentanyl is very strong and abuse of this drug can be fatal.

Street names include the following:

Morphine Street Names

Morphine is used to treat severe pain or to manage pain after surgery. It is found in powder, liquid and tablet form. Morphine is the primary derivative of opium. It can be inhaled, smoked or swallowed.

Morphine street names include the following:

Codeine, Hydrocodone and Oxycodone

Codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone are substances that are used in painkillers. Codeine is a weak narcotic sometimes combined with other medicines. Hydrocodone has been used in medications such as Vicodin, Lorcet, Lortab and Tramadol. Oxycodone is a main ingredient in the prescription medication OxyContin.

All three are very addictive and commonly used in medical practice.

 
Street names include the following:

• Codeine: schoolboy, cough syrup, T-three’s (Tylenol #3 with codeine)
• Hydrocodone: Vikes, Viko, Norco, Hydro
• Oxycodone: Ox, Oxicotten, Oxycet⁴

We Can Help You Now

Addiction to opiates, whether legal prescription drugs or in illicit forms, affects the addict as well as his or her loved ones. If you or someone you love is addicted to opiates, please know that there is help available. Call us 24 hours a day at our toll-free helpline, 760.548.4032, to speak to an admissions coordinator about available treatment options. Let us help you begin a new life apart from opiates.

Sources

¹ ""Opium." Smart About Drugs, 27 Dec. 2017.

² ""What Does Heroin Look Like? Street Names for Heroin - Drug-Free World." Foundation for a Drug-Free World, May 2018.

³ "Fentanyl." National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA, 6 June 2016.

⁴ "Opioids: Brand Names, Generic Names and Street Names." American Society of Addiction Medicine, ASAM, 28 Aug. 2017.