HEROIN: the sedative for coughs

[schatzi]

The commercial production of heroin begins in 1898 which is advertised by the Bayer - a German manufacturer as the "sedative for coughs". Heinrich Dreser, in charge of Bayer development, tested the semi-synthetic drug and pronounced that this is an effective treatment for respiratory ailments, bronchitis, asthma and tuberculosis.

So, they started producing heroin and selling out of the country until it was founded that thousands of doctor´s patients are consuming inordinate quantities of heroin. So, Bayer had stopped producing this drug and focused their attention to Aspirin- the most familiar cough medicine here.

[rick]

An interesting historical note - Heroin was the replacement drug for morphine :rolleyes:

Morphine was first used medicinally as a painkiller and, erroneously, as a cure for opium addiction. It quickly replaced opium as a cure-all recommended by doctors and as a recreational drug and was readily available from drugstores or through the mail. Substitution of morphine addiction for alcohol addiction was considered beneficial by some physicians because alcohol is more destructive to the body and is more likely to trigger antisocial behavior. Morphine was used during the American Civil War Civil War, in U.S. history, conflict (1861–65) between the Northern states (the Union) and the Southern states that seceded from the Union and formed the
..... Click the link for more information. as a surgical anesthetic and was sent home with many wounded soldiers for relief of pain. At the end of the war, over 400,000 people had the "army disease," morphine addiction. The Franco-Prussian War in Europe had a similar effect.

In 1906 the Pure Food and Drug Act required accurate labeling of patent medicines and tonics. Various laws restricting the importation of opium were enacted, and the Harrison Narcotics Act (1914) prohibited possession of narcotics unless properly prescribed by a physician. Despite legislation, morphine maintained much of its popularity until heroin heroin (hĕ`rəwən)
..... Click the link for more information. came into use, it in its turn believed to be a cure for morphine addiction.

[shinningstar]

The commercial production of heroin begins in 1898 which is advertised by the Bayer - a German manufacturer as the "sedative for coughs". Heinrich Dreser, in charge of Bayer development, tested the semi-synthetic drug and pronounced that this is an effective treatment for respiratory ailments, bronchitis, asthma and tuberculosis.

So, they started producing heroin and selling out of the country until it was founded that thousands of doctor´s patients are consuming inordinate quantities of heroin. So, Bayer had stopped producing this drug and focused their attention to Aspirin- the most familiar cough medicine here.

Is there no exemption of taking Aspirin your place schatzi? I heard that in the United Kingdom the use of aspirin in children under 12 has been banned since 1986. How true?

[schatzi]

As far as I know, Aspirin is somewhat like Paracematol as what we had in the Philippines.

That is true that Aspirin is prohibited in UK for teenagers (under 16 years old) because of it´s consequences namely: this has the possibility of giving problem into and brain.

[shinningstar]

I heard that Bayer may have caused more headaches than they have cured. It's because the scientists thought that Heroin was not as addictive as morphine, but it turned out to be two to three times more addictive. It was already metabolized and would go straight into the blood stream and immediately cross the blood-brain barrier causing immediate euphoria. Do you think it's the truth?

[mtajim]

Every drug that is illegal today has a history of being a medicine at first, but people's habit of using it in excess to gain more fun makes it a illegal substance

[britjojo]

Aspirin causes a disease called Reyes syndrome when teens and younger children take it at the same time as certain types of virus. It is known that the common cold can do this, as can the flu and chicken pox. Reyes is a disease that destroys the lungs, and can be fatal. It's effects are similar to the 1918 Spanish flu.

That's why it is not recommended, though children who need blood thinning therapy will often still be prescribed this as the risks are lower than other therapies for the same problem.

[ozzie]

I believe that many prescription cough medications contain Codene which is a derivative of Heroin. Isn't it? There is also a prescription pain medication that contains Tylenol and Codene.

[britjojo]

Tylenol 3, I believe is the codeine mix. Yes, codeine is kind of a derivative. Technically is comes direct from the poppy, so it's not a derivative but more of a cousin, since it is never processed to become heroine.

[exjunky]

The way how heroin works: it passes the blood-brain barrier very quickly, then when it's on the "other side" it metabolizes into morphine. So heroin (diamorphine) is sort of like taking morphine with a nitrous-charged engine. This sounds weird to people who have experimented with both drugs, because the effect seems rather different. Dilaudid (hydromorphone) works the same way, in the brain it all turns into the same chemical: morphine.

When this discovery was made, it brought great embarassment to Bayer, since they were calling it a cure for morphine addiction. Sort of like saying that whiskey is a cure for beer addiction, you know what I mean?

But this is a recovery forum is it not? The real question isn't the history behind how the world got so screwed up, it's what to do about it if you're one of the people trapped in these chemical cages.

[genepatrick78]

This is the reason I have personally gone holistic over the years because whether it is an illegal drug or a legal drug the side effects far outweigh the positives. This country is like test tubes for the pharmaceutical industry and if something doesn't work and people start to die, they find another drug for us. I agree with the last comment, its time to get out of the cage.

A good article on methods of beating the system is below,

Narconon Vista Bay (http://www.curvy-chick.net/2007/06/30/proper-drug-rehabilitation/)