A Short Note On Opioid Control And Opioid Controlled Drug

Depending on the source, some would term the heroin and opioid problem in the United States a crisis, while others would use the word epidemic. Regardless of which expression is more accurate, the situation regarding heroin and opioid use, abuse and dependence has ignited national, if not global concern. History shows us that pervasive dilemmas have a tendency to cultivate a variety of intervention and the heroin and opioid crisis is no different.

Narcotic analgesics, especially morphine are underused for pain control with in the medical field. This underuse is because medical professionals, including doctors, fear patient addiction, side effects and possible lose of their licenses. These fears deny adequate healing and a better quality of life to those who would benefit from a more effective use of these drugs, as done in hospice care.

These medications have evolved and changed due to availability in the past few years. Cost has also had an impact on what medications are available to a dying patient. A patient self-administers an oral liquid suspension or a powdered mixed with a soft food such as applesauce. The mix of medications include barbiturates, chloral hydrate, and morphine which are compounded into a single dose prescription to facilitate death. Premedication is required prior to taking this final dose. The most common barbiturates are phenobarbital, pentobarbital or secobarbital. Phenobarbital is the longest acting and is typically used for seizures. Pentobarbital and secobarbital are used to sedate prior to surgery and are not as long acting as phenobarbital. Barbiturates effect the central nervous system. They are classified by their how long they take to effect and their duration of action. Barbiturates increase GABA (gaba amino-butyric acid) neurotransmissions in the brain. The increase in GABA causes drowsiness. They are highly addictive, and patients may become tolerant. The addiction is not an issue when a patient has reached this stage and does not need to be a concern. More importantly, if they have used them during the disease process as a sleep aid the patient may have built a tolerance and would require a higher dosage to be effective. Barbiturates do not provide pain relief, to provide pain relief a patient would need to reach a dose high enough to cause a comatose state. Chloral hydrate is a sleep aid or tranquilizer prior to surgery. This medication is quick

Fun fact, in the UK, some hospitals use diamorphine, a generic name of heroin to prescribed as a strong pain medication in patients suffering from myocardial infarction, post-surgical pain, and chronic pain, including end-stage cancer and other terminal illnesses. It is still given over there, instead of using Morphine, because some hospital state it a lot better from pain

As better and more comprehensive education is provided both to the general public and practicing clinicians the hope is to reduce the negativity surrounding the users of opioids, and to eliminate demeaning language coupled to them as well. This could improve patient morale and help the needless continuation of physical suffering within patients, as they would be more comfortable approaching and using opioids for therapeutic purposes1. That being said there are those within our communities who do abuse these substances and pharmacists must recognize the signs of abusers, it is important for them to reach out, without comment, to help those suffering from opioid abuse once they have been

The opioid epidemic is a problem of importance to me, with an immense national impact. As an adolescent in Chicago, I am exposed to the horrifying statistics of opioid abuse every day. For example, the CDC reports that 91 Americans die from opioid overdose every day and the number is quickly rising. Also, the amount of Americans have died from the "opioid war" is more than 3 times the U.S Military deaths during the Vietnam War. I have watched the stories of babies born with opioid addiction, teenagers in rural parts of Milwaukee and Ohio dying from overdosing and families being torn apart because of drugs like heroin, Percocet, and opium. There are people who believe that only poor and low-income individuals succumb to opioid addictions because you have to be uneducated to be exposed to drugs. But the truth of the matter is, opioids do not discriminate.

According to NIH, millions of people suffer from opioid use disorder throughout the United States. This epidemic has continued to spread and the numbers of people who are becoming addicted is on the rise so much that the total burden of cost is at 78.5 billion dollars per year for prescription opioid misuse, this includes the cost of addiction treatment, criminal justice services, and health care (NIH, 2017. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-crisis) Unfortunately there does not seem to be an end to this epidemic anytime soon. The numbers are unremarkable; natural and semi-synthetic opioids peeked at 14,427, heroin at 15,446 and synthetic opioids other than methadone at 20,145. That is a total of 50,018 deaths for some type

Opioid abuse, misuse and overdose is a problem in The United States. You can’t turn on the TV or read a newspaper without some mention of the epidemic. This issue has caused the practice of prescribing or taking narcotic pain medication to be looked at under a microscope. Patients are fearful to use some necessary pain medication, because they may become addicted. Other patients who genuinely do have pain and need medication are having a tougher time obtaining the help they need. The problem of abuse and addiction is tough to solve since for some people the medications are the only way they can function and live a semi-normal life. A patient with pain may be hesitant to visit the doctor and

Opioid addiction is a condition that is preventable as well as one which individuals display several noticeable risk factors before the actual addiction prognosis to the point of causing death. There is a strong correlation between the early misuse of prescription opioids, which are prescribed for non-cancer pain management, and the development of a dependence on such opioids. Early detection of risk factors such as the misuse of opioids that are prescribed will help indicate that a patient is developing an addiction.1 Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers must closely monitor patients and the rate at which opioids are consumed as well as refilled.

For thousands of years, opiates have been used in the treatment of pain. Opium is believed to have been discovered 6000 BC, and since then, it has had a huge impact on both medicine and the recreations of those seeking euphoria. More recent than the ancient discovery of natural opium are the derivatives of opium, such as the alkaloids morphine, codeine, and thebaine. From these alkaloids, semi-synthetic opiates can by synthesized, such as hydrocodone, and oxycodone. Synthetic opioids are also quite prevalent, which include fentanyl and tramadol. Opium can also be processed into heroin, a morphine derivative. As advancements were made in science and engineering to allow for a wider distribution and usage of opiates, the problems of dependence and overdose also increased drastically. According to Hart and Ksir (2013, p. 302), the invention of the hypodermic needle for intravenous administration of morphine and other drugs allowed for a much faster and more potent dose of the drug. With this increased potency came an increase in the possibility of a recreational intravenous user to overdose. Hart also mentions that some of the wars surrounding the era of the synthesis of morphine may have contributed to the rise of morphine, seeing as a medic soldier’s motto was always “first provide relief” (2013). This relief-driven attitude and extensive use of opioid analgesics in medicine during the time, in addition to the large amount of patent medicines and remedies on the market may

What is the number of lives that need to be taken before a problem is acknowledged as a pressing issue? Elijah Cummings, a US politician, states “More than 26,000 lives may be lost to the effects of drug abuse this year. This tragic impact is felt in communities across this great nation,” many of whom are not trying enough to attempt to alleviate this problem. Opioids are, throughout the US, consistently over prescribed and ineffectively regulated, leading to overuse and abuse of opioids becoming a pandemic in the United States.

Opioids are making a resurgence in the black market, evident by the rapidly increasing opioid overdose rates in an increasing fatality count for Maryland every year. The state and local governments have been working to alleviate the issue with increased access to counteractive medications and required rehabilitation. This, however, is draining government funds only to stall, if not worsen, the problem. The best approach to stopping the opioid epidemic of Maryland is to take a similar approach to smoking in treating the situation as a matter of addiction instead of one of drug abuse.

Opioid use disorders are directly linked to major consequences for individuals as well as society. Opioids include drugs such as Vicodin, oxycodone, morphine, and heroin among others (CITE). Currently, estimates show there are about 20 million people abusing or addicted to opioids countrywide (Bell, 2014). Opioid use can cause decrease quality of life as it is a common cause of familial conflict, homelessness, incarceration, life threatening illness, and death by overdose.

Does anyone you know and or love currently struggle with opioid addiction? Have you witnessed the loss of a life due to opioid addiction? Opioid addiction is a major issue we are all facing the United States either directly or indirectly. The opioid epidemic has continued to grow yearly, and shows no real solutions in the trend of it slowing down or it coming to an end. Doctors are well aware of this information and are working to reduce the number of opioid abuse cases created at the source. There are options available to addicts including but not limited to inpatient rehabilitation programs, detoxification programs/facilities, and outpatient counseling support. These options cost a significant amount of money, unaffordable to most addicts,

"More than 30,000 people are dying every year from Opioid drug addiction." (Katel833). That means they are leaving behind 30,000 families grieving and at least another 30,000 people they may have introduced to the addiction of the drugs each year. Opioids drug are a very serious matter that goes around daily without being noticed. Although some precautions have not been a total fail, recent epidemic shows the problems with the Opioid drug addiction is bigger than what we can handle and cannot simply curb the epidemic.