Opioids List

Codeine

Used as a medication for the treatment of mild to moderate pain symptoms, cough suppression and allergy symptom relief. It may be combined with other substances, including:

Guaifenesin
Phenylephrine
Promethazine
Brompheniramine
Chlorpheniramine
Caffeine
Salicylic acid
Diphenhydramine
Acetaminophen

Street names for codeine and codeine-combination narcotics include:⁴

Schoolboy
Coties
Captain Cody
Loads
Doors and Fours
Pancakes and Syrup
Lean
Sizzurp
Purple Drank
Texas Tea

Codeine and codeine-based medications come in liquid, tablet, or capsule form. People may attempt to inject this medication or drink it mixed with flavored beverages. The DEA accepts codeine as having some medical benefit despite the risks associated with misuse.

Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. When legally produced by licensed pharmaceutical companies, it is used in surgical anesthesia and for the treatment of severe or chronic pain. In 2013, the illicitly produced form of fentanyl became a problem on the streets of America.

This medication has effects similar to other substances on this opioids list. However, fentanyl sets itself apart from other opioids due to the strength of its effects as well as the increased risk of overdose.

Fentanyl comes in several forms, such as lozenges, tablets, mouth sprays, nasal sprays, patches and injectable solutions. When manufactured and sold on illegal markets, fentanyl typically comes in the form of powder or counterfeit pills.¹

People often misuse this medication by snorting, smoking, injecting, soaking blotter paper, modifying patches or consuming it by mouth. People may sell or misuse fentanyl under street names such as:¹

Lollipops
Tango and Cash
He-Man
Jackpot
Murder 8
King Ivory
Dance Fever
China Town
China Girl
Friend
Apache
Great Bear
Goodfellas

Heroin

Heroin has a strictly illegal status, according to the DEA.¹ People use heroin by smoking, snorting and injecting. Many heroin dealers cut this drug with other substances, diluting the purity and increasing the amount they can sell. They may also cut it with fentanyl, unbeknownst to the individual buying and using the heroin, which could have fatal consequences.

People sell heroin under street names such as:^1,4

Thunder
Hell Dust
Dope
Junk
Brown Sugar
Negra
Horse
Black Tar
White Horse
Big H
Chiva
Smack

Hydrocodone

Sold under brand names such as Hysingla ER, Norco, Vicodin, Lorocet and Hycodan, the DEA recognizes hydrocodone as having some therapeutic benefits.⁴ Doctors may prescribe this medication to treat severe pain in doses that one can take for “around-the-clock” pain management.⁵ Available in liquid, tablets, extended-release tablets and capsules, hydrocodone formulas come in short- and long-acting release forms.

People may sell or misuse this medication under street names such as:⁴

Dones
Droco
Bananas
357s
Lemonade
Scratch
Pills
Veeks
Vikes
Idiot
Lorries

People who misuse hydrocodone may swallow, snort or inject it to obtain its euphoric effects.

Hydromorphone

Available under the brand name Dilaudid, doctors may prescribe this medication as capsules, tablets, injectable solutions, oral solutions or rectal suppositories.⁴ It is used for severe and chronic pain. Despite known risks for misuse, addiction and overdose, the DEA acknowledges the medical benefits of hydromorphone.¹ This medication has a higher potency than morphine, which contributes to the risks of addiction and negative health consequences when misused.

Street names for hydromorphone include:¹

Footballs
Smack
Juice
Dust
Dillies
D

Meperidine

Merperidine is another opioid medication prescribed for moderate to severe pain. It is a short-acting synthetic opioid that should only be used for the short term because its metabolites can be toxic and lead to seizure activity. Meperidine comes in tablets, liquid and injectable solutions.^4,7 People who misuse this medication may snort, inject or take it by mouth.⁴ Meperidine also goes by other names such as:^4,7

Demerol
Pethidine
Isonipecaine
Pain Killer
Demmies

Despite the risks of misuse, the DEA has approved meperidine for medicinal purposes.⁴

Methadone

Initially developed as a substitute for morphine, methadone now serves as a synthetic opioid medication used in detoxification and opioid use disorder maintenance treatment. Recommended strictly for use in authorized facilities, the DEA classifies methadone as having a high risk for misuse despite its medically approved uses.¹

Street names for methadone include:^1,4

Wafer
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amidone
Biscuits
Jungle Juice
Fizzies
Maria

This medication comes in tablet formulas, oral liquids, and injectable solutions. Despite chemical differences between methadone and heroin or morphine, the DEA notes that these substances have similar effects on your mind and body.^1,4

Morphine

Morphine is available in several formulas and is prescribed for severe pain and chronic pain management.^1,4 Doctors may prescribe this medication as extended-release pills, tablets, capsules, suppositories, liquid solutions and injectable solutions⁴ Brand names for morphine include:^1,4

RMS
Oramorph SR
MS-Contin
Roxanne
MSIR
Duramorph

People who illegally sell or misuse this medication may do so using street names such as:⁴

Unkie
Morpho
Emsel
Mister Blue
God’s Drug
Monkey
Miss Emma
White Stuff
First Line
Joy Juice
Dreamer

People who misuse morphine may smoke, snort or inject this medication to achieve intoxication.¹

Opium

A natural opioid, opium comes in different forms such as solutions, powders or a solid substance.¹ Many opium-based substances (morphine, codeine, noscapine and papaverine) have approval for medicinal use per DEA standards. Some street names for opium include:¹

When-She
Pox
Pen Yan
Pin Gon
Skee
Toxy
O
O.P.
Gima
Ah-pen-yen
Chinese Tobacco
Goric
Hop
Hops
Dream Gun
Big O
Aunt
Aunt Emma
Dopium

Oxycodone

Oxycodone has several prescription medication forms, such as extended-release tablets and capsules, as well as liquid solutions.⁸ The DEA notes that oxycodone has significant popularity in communities of people who misuse opioids.¹ In the mid-1990s oxcodone in the form of Oxycontin was regarded as the stimulus for the first wave of the U.S. opioid epidemic. Medical providers use it for severe and chronic pain. Doctors may offer this prescribe this substance under several brand names including:^1,4

Roxicet
Percodan
OxyIR
OxyContin
Percodan

Street names for oxycodone include:^1,4

Hillbilly Heroin
Percs
Kickers
Roxy
Killers
Buttons
Beans
Cotton
Blues
Ox
OC
Oxy
512s
40s
30s

People may misuse this medication by taking it by mouth, snorting, injecting or smoking it.¹ People who inject this medication may attempt to crush and dissolve it in water. Others may snort this medication after crushing it.

Oxymorphone

If you need opioid medications to manage pain symptoms ranging from moderate to severe, doctors may prescribe oxymorphone.⁹ Prescribed under brand name Opana and in extended-release formulas, this medication has several street names including:^4,9

Blue Heaven
Biscuits
Blues
O Bomb
Octagons
Stop Signs
Mrs. O

People may misuse this medication by injecting, snorting or swallowing it. ⁴

Opioid Overdose Symptoms

This opioid list provides information on the opioid-class medications and substances used and misused by the public. Anyone misusing or abusing opioids faces the risk of experiencing serious health concerns, including fatal overdose.²Overdose occurs when you take too much of a medication, intentionally or accidentally, and begin to develop potentially life-threatening symptoms.¹⁰

Symptoms of opioid overdose include:²

slow, irregular breathing
slow, irregular heart rate or blood pressure
unresponsiveness
pale, clammy skin
pinpoint pupils
lips or fingernails turning blue or purple

An overdose constitutes an emergency that requires immediate medical attention.² Naloxone can serve as an antidote that counters the effects of opioid overdose. Both emergency medical responders and members of the public can administer naloxone during an opioid overdose.

Detox and Addiction Treatment

If you misuse opioids, you run the risk of addiction. A comprehensive treatment program can help you build a brighter future without the struggles of addiction.

From withdrawal management in a detox program to long-term care, treatment options exist to support your unique needs in substance use recovery. Various therapeutic interventions include:

Individual counseling
Connection with medical providers
Case management services
Family therapy
Group therapy
Peer or mutual support groups
Stress management
Skills training
Relapse prevention planning

If you have concerns about using or misusing any of the substances included on this opioids list, professionals can help you get started on the path to recovery. An assessment by a licensed substance use treatment provider can help you get matched with the level of care you need.¹¹

If you need support, get connected today. Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to get help today.

Resources

Drug Enforcement Administration Community Outreach and Prevention Support Section. (2020). Drugs of abuse: A DEA resource guide/2020 edition. U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2018, April 18). Opioid misuse and addiction. MedlinePlus.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2020, December 15). Codeine. MedlinePlus.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, August 20). Commonly used drugs charts.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2021, January 15). Hydrocodone. MedlinePlus.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Substance-related and addictive disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2021, February 15). Meperidine. MedlinePlus.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2021, February 15). Oxycodone. MedlinePlus.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2021, February 15). Oxymorphone. MedlinePlus.
Hoey, N.M. (2019). Overdose. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health. Salem Press.
Miller, W. R., Forcehimes, A. A., & Zweben, A. (2019). Treating addiction: A guide for professionals. The Guilford Press.

the Take-Away

Opioids are a group of drugs that are synthetically derived from the poppy plant. Most opioids are prescription painkillers that should not be taken wrongly.

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