Opioid Addiction

Opioids are a class of drugs used to help an individual’s pain perception. They include prescriptive and nonprescriptive medications: morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and fentanyl. Heroin is also an opioid, but it is a classified Schedule 1 illegal drug.

So how do opioids work and what makes them so addictive? We all have millions of pain receptors throughout our body called nociceptors that send information about pain to our brains. These pain receptors are on our skin, within our organs, and our spinal cord. Opioids are given for pain because they block the signals from the nociceptors to our brain. In addition to this, opioids cause a sense of euphoria which is the “high” that accompanies the medication (Healthcare Triage, 2016). Our bodies actually produce their own opioid chemicals that many people know of as endorphins. However, long-term use of opioids can make the body stop producing endorphins which can lead to dependence on medications (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014). The way people take or abuse these drugs varies as well. Opioid pills such as hydrocodone or oxycodone are taken by mouth while heroin is typically injected. However, people that abuse the drugs are now crushing the pills to snort or inject which increases the intensity of the “high.” This method is also more dangerous because the risk of respiratory

Opioids are classified as opium like compounds; some (ex. codeine and morphine) exist naturally in opium, which is a gummy substance derived from the seedpod of the opium poppy, indigenous to Southern Asia. Other opioids are of the synthetic category, such as methadone or fentanyl (opioidaddictionsource.com). Though the use of prescription opioids may be well intended, due to their effect on the brain chemistry, it is fairly common for one to become addicted to them; America is amidst a raging prescription opioid epidemic, in fact.

Considerable cautions have been obtained throughout the United States to decrease the misuse of prescription opioids and helps to minimize opioid overdoses and related complications. Even though the pain medications have a significant part in the treatment of acute and chronic pain situations, it sometimes happen that the high dose prescription or the prescribed medications, without having enough monitoring, can create bad outcomes. It is always a dilemma for the providers to find who is really in need of pain medications and to identify those who are questionably misusing opioids.

The opioid epidemic in America continues to grow at an alarming rate with no end in sight. All narcotics are derived from the opium poppy plant and then manufactured into different forms of drugs such as morphine, heroin, and other pharmaceutical and synthetic opioid drugs sold on the market for pain. Opium derived drugs block and suppress pain by binding to and stimulating the natural receptor sites for endorphins found in the central nervous system of a user’s brain. Patients who are prescribed narcotic drugs can quickly become addicted to the drugs because their body’s will stop producing endorphins and instead

The opioid crisis was caused by a variety of factors, but the main reason why these drugs are in the spotlight is because of the actions of the drug manufacturers. In order to fully understand the spark of the opioid crisis, it is imperative to understand what makes these drugs so potent. Writer and crime journalist Sam Quinones states that opioids are synthetic drugs. Naturally sourced drugs, known as opiates, are derived from the opium poppy plant. However, experts use both of these terms interchangeably. The use of opioids grew around the late 90s, and legally, most people used these drugs for pain relief. However, the people that were using these drugs had little information as to how addicting opioids actually were. In fact, opioids are

Oxycodone is the main drug I am concentrating on even though there are many opiates or schedule II drugs that are considered Opioids. Oxycodone was first created as part of an effort to find non-addictive alternatives to morphine and heroin, which were commonly used in medicine before World War I. Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic, ?Pain Killer? that is most often prescribed to control moderate to severe pain that must not be used with other medications. It is a slightly synthetic opiate that was created in 1916. The chemicals found in Poppy plants also make as morphine and heroin. Opiate:?A drug (such as morphine, codeine or heroin) containing or derived from opium or the opium poppy, used to alleviate pain, or induce sleep or euphoria. "Some Facts You Should Know About the History of Oxycodone." A Forever Recovery. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2016. Opioid:?A synthetic or semi-synthetic substance producing an opium-like effect, often prescribed for the alleviation of moderate to severe pain; a prescription painkiller in the opiate class.

Opioids crisis is a crucial topic that has been a long lasting conversation within healthcare. Opioids are an opiumlike compound that binds to one or more of the three opioid receptors of the body. In much similar terms opioids are a class of that involve everything from heroin to legal prescription pain relievers.

Individuals who use Opioids are Addicts. The history of this very debatable topic is very educational and interesting. Opioids are drugs that are prescribed for severe to chronic pain, some examples of opioids are: morphine,?methadone, Buprenorphine,?hydrocodone, and?oxycodone.?Heroin?is also an opioid and is illegal. Opioid drugs sold under brand names include: OxyContin?,?Percocet?, Palladone?(taken off the market 7/2005),Vicodin?, Percodan?, Tylox? and?Demerol? among others. These drugs are also classified as a schedule II drug.

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,

Dysphoria, formication, anxiety, depression, insomnia and inability to focus on tasks are just some of the many symptoms associated with withdrawing from opiates. Opiates, originally derived from opium plants, have been used medicinally as early as 3400 B.C. Presently, opioids are used to relive pain as they have been shown to aid in decreasing the severity of pain signals moving to the brain. However, long term usage can lead to psychological dependence and neurological changes in the body (Pregolizzi, 2012; Jamison, Butler, Budman, Edwards & Wasan, 2010). As of 2013 opioids were one of the most commonly abused drug in America, second only to marijuana. There have were approximately 1,244,872 emergency department visits related

Opioids are highly addictive and dangerous drugs, but have some medicinal use. The most common clinical use of opioid narcotics is as an analgesic to relieve pain (Fleckenstein, Hanson, & Venturelli, 2015, p. 276.). Opioid narcotics are used for pain relief. Once consumed, opioids activate receptors that are controlled by endorphins (Fleckenstein, et al., 2015, p. 277.). Endorphins are proteins that are released into the brain when one

Dealing with withdrawal symptoms is one of the most difficult parts of rehabilitation, and many patients turn to medication to help ease that process. Some of the medications used to treat addiction include Methadone, Buprenorphine, and Naltrexone (NIDA, 2014). There are also programs to help drug abusers recover from addiction. This can include therapies such as contingency management therapy and motivational therapy or programs such as methadone clinics and syringe service programs (NIDA, 2014). Methadone clinics are used to provide painkillers that can reduce opioid cravings (AAC, 2017). Syringe service programs are used to provide drug users with sterile needles. Though this doesn’t always deter people from ceasing their opioid use, it gives patients a place to find sterile needles, reducing their chances of transmitting diseases like HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne infections (CDC, 2017). This can indirectly reduce the number of deaths as a result of opioid use. Educating patients about their options will increase the likelihood of pursuing treatment which, over time, will decrease the amount of prescriptions written for narcotic use, thus, decreasing the death

Examples of opioid drugs include OxyContin, Vicodin, methadone, fentanyl, codeine and morphine (AAC 3). “As of 2014, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that more than 4 million Americans abuse those types of drugs” (AAC 3). Withdrawal symptoms from opioids usually occur 12 hours after their last dose. These symptoms can include muscle aches, restlessness, anxiety, excessive sweating and excessive sweating. More intense symptoms can include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea/vomiting, rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure. People who are addicted heroine or opioids don’t just wake up and chose to go do these kinds of drugs. There are many factors that contribute to an individual’s motive to try it. In an article on National Institute on Drug Abuse, a man name Deon became addicted to heroin because of his family issues. His mom was an alcoholic and her boyfriend would hit her or him for the littlest things. At the age of 10 he started drinking and hanging around more on the streets to avoid being at home. He liked the way alcohol made him forget his problems which after a while lead to heroin. “I needed the drug just to get by” Deon said. Deon is now in treatment, talking in support groups and taking classes to help his addiction. He also takes methadone to help him feel normal and not

Opiates, otherwise known as narcotics, derive from the properties of Afghanistan grown Opium plants (Papaver somniferum) which are otherwise known as poppy seed plants. They exude a crystalline liquid from the capsules of the poppy (Calkins, 2016) Opium has been used to treat pain relief for thousands of years, although they have shifted towards dancing on a line of danger and misuse. The Opium in opiates exerts its stimulative action in a twofold direction, of the body and then the mind (Calkins, 2016). Opiates bind to opiate receptors present in the spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract and the brain in order to reduce the perception and reaction to pain, as well as increased the tolerance of pain (Miller, 2017). Opium, by pharmaceutical classification, is stimulant and exhilarating and tonic, which can be intensified through stimulation into a drug. (Calkins, 2016). While equally as addictive and both considered class 1 drugs, natural opiates are slightly healthier for the body and brain instead of synthetic, manmade opioids (Miller, 2017). http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/narcotic-pain-medications#1