Unintentional Opioid Therapy

Opioid addiction is so prevalent in the healthcare system because of the countless number of hospital patients being treated for chronic pain. While opioid analgesics have beneficial painkilling properties, they also yield detrimental dependence and addiction. There is a legitimate need for the health care system to provide powerful medications because prolonged pain limits activities of daily living, work productivity, quality of life, etc. (Taylor, 2015). Patients need to receive appropriate pain treatment, however, opioids need to be prescribed after careful consideration of the benefits and risks.

Opioid use in the US has increased over the years, and this has led to an increase in substance abuse. Substance abuse is not only associated with use of illicit drugs but also prescription drugs. In 2015, of the 20.5 million reported cases of substance abuse, 2 million had an abuse disorder related to prescription pain relievers and 591,000 associated with heroin.1 The increase in substance abuse disorder has led to an increase in opioid related death. In 2015 drug overdose was the leading cause of accidental death in the US with 52, 404 lethal drug overdoses.2

The use of opioids and other drugs continues to gradually increase in the United State. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of overdose deaths involving opioids has quadrupled since 1999” (CDC website). Individuals are abusing prescription opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone. Prescriptions opioids that are supposed to be used as pain relievers, cough suppressants and for withdrawal symptoms are being use by individuals in order to feel relaxed or for the overwhelming effect of euphoria. These types of drugs are to be taken orally, but people are snorting, smoking, and injecting them in order to get a better high. I have personal encounters with opioid drugs and opioid abuser on a regular

Last year there were over 64,000 reported opioid-related deaths in the United States – making it the leading cause of accidental death in people under the age of 50 in this country (Katz). Opioids, also referred to as painkillers, have become a growing problem over the past two decades particularly in rural communities all across the country where the death rates are higher per capita compared to the death rate in cities (“America’s Opioid Epidemic is Worsening”). These narcotics, such as codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone are extremely addictive and, as a result, this silent killer has quadrupled the overdose death toll since 1999

Opioid drugs are some of the most widespread pain medications that we have in this country; indeed, the fact is that opioid analgesic prescriptions have increased by over 300% from 1999 to 2010 (Mitch 989). Consequently, the number of deaths from overdose increased from 4000 to 16,600 a year in the same time frame (Mitch 989). This fact becomes even more frightening when you think about today; the annual number of fatal drug overdoses in the Unites States now surpasses that of motor vehicle deaths (Alexander 1865). Even worse, overdose deaths caused by opioids specifically exceed those attributed to both cocaine and heroin combined (Alexander 1865).

Analysis: Opioids are a class of drug that are medically used as very effective painkillers, like fentanyl and morphine, however, they are highly addictive and produce a feeling of euphoria (“Opioids”). This combination leads do a lot of abuse and dependency, where people take more than prescribed in order to feel better. People start off taking the opioid painkillers in order to not feel pain as prescribed by their doctors. Then, they end up getting addicted to them. There are also illicit opioids, such as heroin, that are also highly addictive and also lead to dependency and death (“Opioids”). These illicit versions are taken for recreational reasons, and are also often mixed with other drugs. The combination of taking an unregulated drug in conjunction with other drugs leads to a lot of overdoses.

There is no question that the alarming rate of deaths related to opioid overdose needs to be addressed in this county, but the way to solve the problem seems to remain a trial and error approach at this point. A patient is injured, undergoes surgery, experiences normal wear and tear on a hip, knee or back and has to live with that pain for the rest of their life or take a narcotic pain medication in order to improve their quality of life and at least be able to move. The above patients are what narcotic pain medications were created for, a population of people that use narcotic pain medications for fun is what is creating a problem. Narcotics are addictive to both populations, however taking the narcotic for euphoric reasons is not the intention of the prescription that the physician is writing. The healthcare system needs to find a way to continue to provide patients that experience chronic pain with the narcotics that work for them while attempting to ensure the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) doesn’t have to worry about a flood of pain pills hitting the streets by granting access to the population with a substance abuse problem.

The United States currently faces an unprecedented epidemic of opioid addiction. This includes painkillers, heroin, and other drugs made from the same base chemical. In the couple of years, approximately one out of twenty Americans reported misuse or abuse of prescriptions painkillers. Heroin abuse and overdoses are on the rise and are the leading cause of injury deaths, surpassing car accidents and gun shots. The current problem differs from the opioid addiction outbreaks of the past in that it is also predominant in the middle and affluent classes. Ultimately, anyone can be fighting a battle with addiction and it is important for family members and loved ones to know the signs. The cause for this epidemic is that the current spike of opioid abuse can be traced to two decades of increased prescription rates for painkillers by well-meaning physicians.

Substance abuse disorders have been considered a major epidemic by public health authorities during this century. Most recently, those who use, and abuse opioids have been in the spotlight. The growing number of overdoses, deaths, and individuals who are identified as opioid abusers has, of late, been the subject of media attention. Now coined “The Opioid

Today, Naloxone is now being prescribed and dispensed to people at risk of opioid overdose. The number of overdose deaths has quadrupled since 1999. Statistics show that increased availability, relatively low price (compared to prescription opioids), and high purity of heroin in the United States is one of the reasons why death rates are so high. From 2000 to 2015, more than half a million people died from drug overdoses. Every day, approximately 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose. It is a proven fact that most people who are addicted suffer the most overdoses. Anyone taking drugs can suffer an opiate overdose, especially when they take more than prescribed or if they combine opiates with other CNS (Central Nervous System) depressants with alcohol. It's rare for someone to die immediately from an overdose, it's usually a very slow process that takes anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. After you administer the Naloxone, it lasts between 30-90 minutes before the overdose begins to recur. Also, Naloxone can also cause an uncomfortable withdrawal feeling; This is because it blocks the action of opioids in the

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.

Study Thesis. Opioids contribute to the most used illicit drug and related deaths. In this study it is said that 1 in 8 people overdose on opioids and sadly end in inconspicuous deaths. The death is due to the central nervous system depressant effects of opioids, leading to a sustained reduction in respiration and consequent anoxia. For every fatal overdose we would also expect there to be 25–50 non-fatal ‘near misses’. Along with opioids. Heroine is along the same lines and the question is, how do we reduce the rates of non-fatal and fatal overdoses? Study Method. The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales is supported by funding from the Australian Government. The central question posed in this piece

The amount of individuals who die annually from accidental overdose is extremely unnerving. One of the biggest issues the world is facing in the 21st century is prescription opioid and illegal drug abuse. Unfortunately, this lethal dilemma is not publicized in the media as much as other things such as celebrity drama, cancer prevention, or the newest fitness craze. The notorious opioid epidemic is in full swing and has effected individuals from all religions, cultures, and genders. Although it may seem like a collective issue, adolescents are in the most danger.

The last time the CDC looked at this issue was 2014 using the same methodologies drawing from cases from 1999 – 2014, at that time it was noted that no studies had been conducted greater than 1 year but did include a systematic review on effectiveness/risks and supplemental reviews on benefits, harms, values, preferences and costs; also including data from observational studies and randomized clinical trails which also posed a problem since none of the studies went passed 12 weeks thus creating limitations. During that study the CDC characterized the GRADE and Meta-analysis was of low quality. They also found that the 2014 study showed 3-4% of patients out of the 11.2% were being prescribed opioids for long term use, that 165,000 people died from opioid related overdoses and that in 2013 an estimated 1.9 million people abused or overdosed on medically prescribed opioids. From the study studies conducted in 2014 and 2016 the CDC came up with helpful guidelines/recommendations for clinicians to assist in making decisions as it relates to patient care, such things as if at all possible and first recommendation use other forms of non opioid treatments, doctors

Simonson et al. (2011) found that a deficiency in knowledge of pharmacology to be common amongst nurses, increasing the risk of medication errors occurring. The continuous rise in the number of medications available has induced parallel increases in the depth of medication knowledge expected of nurses. This may cause a nurse’s knowledge base to become increasingly irrelevant if not consistently built upon as time progresses. Ofosu and Jarret (2015) highlighted the importance of nurses taking responsibility and seeking out opportunities for continual professional development in regard to their knowledge of medications, by attending seminars on new medicines, asking colleagues, or engaging in independent research.