Posted by ed_uk on February 9, 2005, at 9:48:55
In reply to Re: opioids » ed_uk, posted by medhed on February 9, 2005, at 9:03:15
Hi!
>I've always heard that in England legally they can supply heroin to a patient. Legal heroin?
Yes, diamorphine (heroin) is widely to used to treat severe pain in the UK. It is administered by continuous subcutaneous (sc) infusion to treat the severe pain of terminal illness. A machine called a syringe driver is used to administer it. When a continuous sc infusion is necessary, diamorphine is used in preference to morphine because it is more soluble and so large doses can be dissoved in small quantites of water. You can dissolve up to 250mg in 1ml of purified water.
Diamorphine is also used by IV, IM or sc injection to relive severe acute pain eg. acute MI. When given orally, it is almost completely metabolised to morphine and has no advantages over morphine when given by this route.
Diamorphine is metabolised to 6-acetylmorphine and morphine. It is illogical that other countries have made diamorphine schedule 1, it's abuse potential is no greater than oxycodone, hydromorphone etc. In the UK it is a schedule 2 drug. Diamorphine is no more dangerous than any of the other potent opioids.
Ed.
poster:ed_uk
thread:453574
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050207/msgs/455360.html