When your body is in pain, it sends an alert to your brain through your spinal cord. The differences between opioids and opiates come into play when looking at how they affect your brain. In fact, some of them are classified as illegal in the U.S., such as heroin.ĭo opioids and opiates affect your brain and body the same way? In the United States, more than 153 million opioid prescriptions are delivered each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In short, all opiates are opioids, but not all opioids are opiates. Opioid receptors are receptors in your nerve cells that work with substances to help regulate pain and pleasure. “Opioid” is an umbrella term for substances that interact with opioid receptors in your brain, including opiates. If you’ve ever experienced a runner’s high at the end of a long jog, for example, that would be your endogenous opioids and their receptors working - specifically, endorphins.

Endogenous opioidsĮndogenous opioids are substances - peptides - produced by your brain to fulfill many functions. These naturally derived active molecules interact with opioid receptors in your brain, which results in pain relief and calming effects.

Opiates have been grown and processed for thousands of years for medicinal use. Specifically, opiates come from opium, the white liquid extracted from the poppy plant, Papaver somniferum. Opiates are substances naturally derived from a poppy plant. The main difference is that opiates are natural substances while opioids include opiates and also man-made drugs.

What’s the difference between opioids and opiates?

A opiate withdrawl diarie