Ask a doctor - Which Indian medicines contain opiods?

Q. Which Indian medicines contain opiods?

Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.

Answered by Secondmedic Expert

Opioids are substances found in certain medicines that interact with opioid receptors in the body to produce certain effects. In India, opioids are commonly used in both prescription and non-prescription medications to treat pain, cough, diarrhea and as sedatives.

Opioids can be derived from natural sources such as opium poppy or synthesized chemically such as codeine or hydrocodone. Some of the most common opioids included in Indian medicines include morphine, oxycodone, and hydromorphone. These drugs have a high potential for abuse due to their powerful effects on reducing pain and inducing euphoria when taken chronically or at higher doses than what is medically prescribed.

The use of opioid-containing medicines is highly regulated by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). It has set limits on which drugs containing these substances can be released for sale in India's healthcare market or exported abroad. The list includes over 80 different types of preparations which primarily contain morphine and its derivatives including codeine phosphate syrup (used mainly for analgesia), meperidine hydrochloride injections (used mainly for preoperative sedation) and fentanyl patches (used mainly for chronic pain management). Other type formulations may also contain other controlled ingredients like buprenorphine along with the aforementioned opiods.

Aside from pharmaceuticals there are some traditional ayurvedic herbs that may contain trace amounts of opioids; however this usage isn't typically regulated like what we see with modern medications prescribed by doctors because they're used much differently without being administered directly into the bloodstream via injection/ingestion - instead they enter through inhalation where a much lower concentration is required leading to fewer adverse reactions while still providing some level of therapeutic benefit due to their naturally occurring alkaloids like opiumlate lactum & salicylic acid etc., making them popular amongst practitioners who lack access to more conventional tools.

Ultimately it's important to note that although these substances have been used medicinally since ancient times - any medicine containing an opioid should only be taken under direct medical supervision so you know exactly what you're taking & how it will affect your body over time!