Most people are familiar with the name of prescription drugs, but many of these medications have generic names, street names, and slang terms that are used to refer to them or how they are used. With all of these varying names, it can be difficult to know what your child may be using. Identifying what your child is using is key in understanding how to move forward with treatment options. Sometimes, the name used to refer to the drug can tell you what the substance is, how it may be used, or what variation it may be. Although learning your child is experimenting with drugs can be an overwhelming, stressful experience, equipping yourself with more information about these drugs can help better prepare you to make informed decisions about your child’s care moving forward.
Oxycodone Brand Names, Street Names, and Slang
Oxycodone is a prescription painkiller used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is often prescribed following surgeries or used to manage life-long pain in cases where other medications are not effective. Typically, it is available in liquid or pill form and it can be found in many households, making it incredibly easy to acquire and misuse. In some cases, misuse can evolve from a legitimate prescription, but in other cases, it is acquired from a friend or family member’s prescription.
Oxycodone is known by several other names, including:
- OC
- Oxycotton
- Oxy
- Percs (“Perks”)
- Roxy or Roxies
Codeine Street Names and Slang
Codeine is another type of prescription medication used for pain relief and as a cough suppressant or cold medicine. This particular medication is only prescribed to those who are 18 years or older due to the potential for misuse. Despite these limitations in prescribing the medication, it is often found in medicine cabinets in homes, making it easy for the drug to wind up in the wrong hands. It is most frequently made available as a tablet or a liquid to consume.
Codeine is often misused by mixing it with alcohol or another sedative. This has been largely popularized in pop culture through songs that glamorize using it as a means of getting high. It can be known by several names depending on how it is used, including:
- Cody
- Captain Cody
- Lean
- Purple drank
- Sizzurp
- Pancakes and syrup
Other Names for Hydrocodone: Street Names and Nicknames
Hydrocodone is a medication used to treat pain in cases where a person needs round-the-clock relief or cannot be treated with other medications. It is typically available as an extended-release capsule or tablet that is designed to work all day. As a prescription drug, this medication can be easily found in many homes and can easily fall into the wrong hands.
One of the most popularly abused forms of hydrocodone is Vicodin, a powerful painkiller used to treat pain, especially following surgery. Since Vicodin tends to be the most popularly abused form of Hydrocodone, many street names are fashioned after it.
Hydrocodone has several street names, including:
- Narco or Norco
- Vickies
- Vike
- Hydro
Street and Slang Names for Percocet
Percocet is a powerful pain management medication that contains Oxycodone. Much like other prescription painkillers, the drug is available in pill or liquid form. While it is intended to only be used by the person it is prescribed for, it can be easily misused by anyone who has access to the medication in someone’s home.
Percocet has several street names, some of which overlapse with Oxycodone. These include:
- Percs
- Paulas
- Roxi’s
- Blue dynamite
- 512s
Nicknames and Slang for Heroin
Many who become addicted to prescription painkillers eventually develop an addiction to heroin. While it may seem like a far leap, heroin and painkillers are derived from the same plant: the poppy plant. The reason many with a prescription drug addiction turn to heroin is simple. Heroin is cheaper and easier to obtain and abuse than prescription drugs.
Heroin comes in a white or brownish powder or sometimes as a sticky black substance often referred to as “tar”. Because it is available in a wide variety of forms, the drug is abused in any number of ways. It may be injected, snorted, or smoked by users. In many cases, heroin ends up being cut with other substances making it impossible to determine how much is actually being consumed.
Heroin is known by a number of names, including:
- Black tar
- Smack
- Thunder
- Hell dust
- Big H or H
- Horse
Morphine Street Names and Slang
Morphine is an extended-release pain medication that is prescribed for those whose pain is unable to be managed by other medications. It is often made available to those who have severe pain that requires around-the-clock attention. It is available in both liquid and tablet form. Since it is a prescribed medication, it should be used by only the person it is intended for but can easily fall into the wrong hands if it is not locked up or looked after carefully.
Morphine is known by several names, including:
- M
- Mister Blue
- Monkey
- Dreamer
- Morf
- Morpho
Learn the Lingo: Understanding Teen Drug Slang
Language is always evolving and it can be difficult to determine what your child may be using or where they learned about it from. Monitoring what your kids watch and listen to can help you better understand where some of it gets pick up from. Many popular songs refer to drugs by numerous slang terms and many TV shows may depict substance abuse or discuss the topic.
In addition to the mainstream media, your child may also learn about various drugs from their friends. Text messages may be hard to decipher, however, as acronyms and emojis (pictures or icons that may depict one thing but are used to represent something else) are used to convey ideas or topics in code.
The best way to monitor your child’s behavior is by staying engaged with them and discussing difficult topics. You can use headline news, real experiences, or stories to broach topics of substance abuse. Paying attention to their habits and behaviors and how they may shift over time can help you identify if your child is potentially struggling with a substance abuse disorder. Take note of mood swings, changes in appetite, or changes in physical appearance. While teenagers and young adults are naturally going through growing pains that will be accompanied by changes in these realms, shifts related to substance abuse are more dramatic and dangerous in nature.
Do you think your Child is Using Opiates? Here’s what you can do.
If you suspect your child or teen has a problem with Opiates, it’s important to intervene before the problem escalates. Learn more about opiates and how you can help your child recover from opiate abuse so they can live up to their full potential.
Sources
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682065.html
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682132.html
https://drugabuse.com/library/list-of-street-names-for-drugs/#oxycodone
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a614045.html
https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/drugs/heroin
http://www.percocetabusehelp.com/percocet-street-names
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