Detox

The coffee machine in the diagnostic room next to House's office says "Good Coffee - Cheaper than Prozac!"

Opiate is a term used to describe the naturally occurring narcotics in opium, which are mainly codeine and morphine, whereas opioid is a term used for the semi-synthetic analgesics like hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab and Norco), oxycodone (Percocet and OxyContin) and Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), as well as the fully synthetic narcotic analgesics like methadone and fentanyl. When House exhibits the effects of opioid withdrawal, Dr. Cuddy states it is because House is addicted to the Vicodin; however, just because someone is experiencing withdrawal after stopping an opiate or opioid does not mean that they are addicted. It just means that their body, mainly the brain and nervous system, had become tolerant to the drug. Only some people using opiates and opioids become addicted to them (meaning they take the drug for the high). Everyone else taking opiates or opioids for more then a couple weeks just becomes tolerant to the drug because of its similarity to chemicals secreted in the brain, mainly endorphins and dopamine (our bodies' natural painkiller and "feel good hormone"). In fact, endorphins are very similar to morphine, both chemically and in its effects on the nervous system; so, since these drugs are a lot like those chemical neurotransmitters secreted in the brain, the brain stops making them. Any sudden halt to taking opiates or opioids throws the brain into a chemical imbalance, which is what withdrawals are. Once our brains are able to catch up and start producing normal levels of endorphins and dopamine, the withdrawal subsides. To sum it up, going into withdrawal after the cessation of opiates or opioids does not necessarily mean one is addicted to them.

Featured in The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2005)