Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Opioids are also frequently used non-medically for their euphoric effects or to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Examples of opioids are morphine, heroin, oxycodone, and methadone. Opioid overdose is an acute and serious condition due to excessive opioids use. Dependence on prescription opioids can stem from treatment of chronic pain and in recent years is the cause of the increased number of opioid overdoses. Opioids are very addictive substances, having serious life threatening consequences in case of intentional or accidental overdose. The euphoria attracts recreational use, and frequent, …show more content…
Naloxone is an antidote medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid effects meaning it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of opioids. It can very quickly restore normal respiration to a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped as a result of overdosing with opioids like heroin or prescription opioid pain medications. Although, naloxone can reverse effects of opioids but it can give false sense of safety in case of opioid overdose, and hence at times increasing the risk of deaths from opioid overdose. Half-life of naloxone can be shorter than that of the opioid itself, that means naloxone stays in the system for short period of time compared with opioid, so repeat dosing after 2-3 minutes or continuous naloxone infusion may be required for it to be effective in saving lives until emergency help …show more content…
Person immediately opened eyes after getting naloxone shot but drifted to drowsiness/respiratory depression after couple of minutes as people around did not know that naloxone dose needs to be repeated till emergency helps arrives. Some people may be allergic to naloxone, and others may not be good candidates like people with heart disease or pregnant females. Although naloxone could prove of vital importance in saving lives in certain situation, but it could also give false sense of security for higher risk behaviors of people causing unfortunate consequences including deaths. One needs to have certain level of clinical expertise to recognize overdose symptoms of opioid use that may include slowed breathing, or no breathing, very small or pinpoint pupils in the eyes, slow heartbeats or extreme drowsiness, especially if you are unable to wake the person from
Although this epidemic has been surging for the past 30 years, there has yet to have been an effective solution to drastically reduce the number of deaths and recurring addictions. The U.S. government has implemented different solutions, but the use of opioids still prevails. Even though drug use is criminalized in most places in the U.S., people are still continuing to use and abuse drugs. While many different approaches are hypothesized to stop the use of drugs, new forms of opioid use and problems seem to arise. There exists stigmas, stereotypes, and false information that have spread about drug use and addiction which hinders people's abilities to be able to understand and offer help to addicts and drug users.
Finally, the article asks “Should opioids be used to treat addiction?” That is definitely not the way to go about it. If a person had an addiction to smoking, would one treat it by telling them to just go smoke a different type of cigarette? No, that’s why doctors should treat opioid addiction by other therapy that is not addictive
Heroin is an opioid drug which is created from morphine. It is a naturally occurring substance removed from the seed of the opium poppy plant. Heroin can appear as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky, tar-like substance. There are a number of ways it can be used such as; injected directly into a vein, injected directly into a muscle, placed on aluminum foil and inhaled as smoke through a straw or stem, or snorted as powder through the nose. All of the ways that heroin is used offer a swift delivery to the brain which offers an almost instant high.
The fact that Alabama sits at the top of the list intensifies demand for our program. The abundance of people on opioid medications for pain management in Alabama is a harsh reality. Education is of paramount importance when dealing with opioid medications. Many people can become addicted and even lead to an overdose without proper counseling and education on these medications that have high tendencies for addiction. In 2015, 736 people died of drug overdoses in Alabama, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 3.3 percent increase over the previous year.
A great thing about Narcan defiantly is that it saves lives. It can work in as little as two minutes after its put into the patient. If it doesn 't work the first time it 's injected or put up the
In the past, opioids have been used to treat moderate to severe pain such as cancer or post surgery, and on a short term basis. Now they are prescribed to anyone who is experiencing chronic pain and on a long term basis. Opioids being taken for chronic pain allows everyone to have the ability to carry out their daily life easily and without pain. In light of opioids helping people manage their pain, the problem lies with what they are being prescribed for now, how long, and how much. Opioids are now being prescribed for back pain, migraines, and other small instances.
Underlying Causes: The increase in the sale of opioids is considered to be the root of the opioid crisis, as the drugs have been proven to be highly addictive. An addiction to prescriptive opioids, however, can lead to an addiction to synthetic, illegal opioids, such as heroine or fentanyl, which are less expensive and easier to acquire. In fact, in their journal article, “Associations of nonmedical pain reliever use and initiation of heroin use in the United States” Pradip Muhuri and associates discovered that “the recent (12 months preceding interview) heroin incidence rate was 19 times higher among those who reported prior nonmedical prescription pain reliever (NMPR) use than among those who did not (0.39 vs. 0.02 percent)” (Muhuri et. al). In other words, abusing prescription opioids significantly raises the chances of abusing illicit drugs, such as heroin.
Opioids are a prescription medication involving various forms of drugs, it can benefit patients as little as a few minutes, however, it can be extremely dangerous to patients without self-control. Morphine, heroin, oxycodone, and fentanyl are used for many different medical uses until companies started to combine these four ingredients into one small simple pill. The pill reduces chronic pain from a body in a matter of minutes taking a minimum dosage. The company that produces Opioids have discovered that for the most part opioids are healthier and safer than any other medications. Like other medications, opioids can also have its side effects too such as; sedation restlessness, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, constipation and much more.
Opioids is a big issue because Americans are addicted to drugs especially opioids. After a surgery doctors give patients opioids because they are a pain killer. After patients have been taking opioids they soon are not in pain anymore but they keep taking the pills because it makes their body feel relieved. People get addicted to this and can’t function without them.
Opioid Epidemic in the United States The opioid crisis has risen over the years here in America. The addiction to painkillers has caused many drug overdoses across America. According to the Vox," In 2015, more than 52,000 people have died from drug overdoses from linked to opioids such as Percocet, heroin, Oxycontin or even fentanyl. This problem did not become an overnight health crisis, but it has become quickly known in America. Expanding our drug treatment centers across America would provide the support to those who are addicted to drugs.
A couple fellow classmates in high school and college were always taking some kind of pills. Myself not knowing much about drugs, I thought they were prescribed. Later, I found out that they weren’t prescribed. My classmates were using them for themselves and also distributing to other students. I never spoke up about it, since I never witnessed the distribution but rumors go around.
According to Michael Klein, “The most prescription drugs that are commonly misused are opioids, tranquillizers, sedatives, and hypnotics.” Unintentional overdose deaths involving opioid pain relievers have quadrupled since 1999 and have outnumbered those involving heroin and cocaine since 2002. (Klein). The reason some people abuse opioids is just to “get high”.
These pills, such as xanax and oxycodone allow people for short periods of time to withdraw from the harsh reality faced today. “Between 1997 and 2002, sales of oxycodone and methadone nearly quadrupled” (Okie). Around 15 years later and the prescription pill problem is continuing to skyrocket. Since prescription pills are dispersed out to anyone by doctors, many people do not realize that it is as much of an illicit drug as cocaine and heroin is. “Misinformation about the addictive properties of prescription opioids and the perception that prescription drugs are less harmful than illicit drugs are other possible contributors to the problem” (NIDA).
Prescription drugs (opiates only) have caused over 165,000 deaths within the last 15 years and is currently on the rise. Over 2 million Americans in 2014 were addicted to Opiate prescription narcotics. The most troubling fact is listed directly on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: “As many as 1 in 4
Opium and its derivatives such as morphine and heroin are the drugs most commonly associated with substance abuse. Their potent pain reliving properties make them a preferred choice for analgesics. On the flip side, opium is also characterized by having strong addictive properties and weaning off the medication becomes a challenge for drug users. Treating opium addiction: Discontinuing use of opium or its derived medicines leads to what is known as opiate withdrawal symptoms. The user experiences feelings of depression and anxiety with a sever urge to consume more of the drug.