Opioids

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Opioid Epidemic. What are opioids?

Opioids are drugs related to morphine and/or opium. They are generally prescription drugs. Doctors and dentists have prescribed these drugs for pain relief for some time, and they are also a part of anesthesia (when you're 'put under' for a surgical procedure). They have their place sometimes, such as following surgery, to ease pain you may have with cancer, or if you've had an injury, but the problem is, people overuse the drugs sometimes and have become addicted to them. As with many drugs, as time passes, your body can become tolerant and require more of the drug to relieve your pain, make you 'feel normal,' or to make you 'check out,' to sleep or to let you avoid doing your daily routine. The term used for this type of drug is 'narcotic,' and that translates to something that makes you sleep or become numb.

Here are some names of these prescribed drugs:

• Morphine
• Hydrocodone
• Oxycodone
• Fentanyl
• Demerol
• Tylenol with codeine
• Vicodan
• Oxycontin
• Percodan
• Percocet
• Dilaudid
• Methadone, a synthetic drug ironically used to wean addicts off of drugs
• Robitussin types A, B, and C (prescription strength)

Some people initially start using opioids for a true medical condition. However, they reach a point where they wouldn't need it for the pain any longer but have begun to enjoy the feeling it gives them. They continue to take more and more, and are not functioning in the world: their primary goal is to get more, take more, and check out more. Their bodies crave the drug and need it to feel 'normal,' whatever that's become. They have thus become addicted to it, and will do virtually anything to get it. Some people will ask their doctors for a new or renewed prescription, and if that doctor refuses, they go elsewhere to get a prescription. Or they visit multiple emergency rooms which probably won't have any records on the patient, who shows up complaining of extreme pain. Some people will steal money from friends to pay for the drugs, steal the drugs, or buy them from street dealers just like any other illegal substance.


Here is the Mayo Clinic's explanation of addiction:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/drug-addiction/symptoms-causes/syc-20365112

There are also unscrupulous doctors who will prescribe because they receive a payment (sometimes called a 'kickback') from a drug company for promoting and prescribing those narcotic drugs. Where records aren't checked, a 'new' doctor may prescribe for a patient who has had opioids for some time, unaware they are feeding an addiction.


In Kentucky, as just one example, a drug manufacturer shipped enough opioid drugs that each person in one county (with a population of about 38,000 people) could receive 477 pills. The manufacturer is being sued:  https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/01/22/kentucky-files-lawsuit-against-national-opioid-distributor/as6dGyWXN0ac2jEJVndllM/story.html

According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2014-2015, there were 33,091 deaths in the U.S. related to opioid use. 91 people a day died as a result of opioids, whether from overdose or use with some other substance that caused those deaths.In comparison, that's more than the number of deaths due to car crashes and gun violence combined.

There's a pretty significant rise in drug overdose involving opioids from 2000 to 2014.
What can we do about it?

• If you are going to have surgery or have had an injury, ask for a less potent, non-addictive drug or treatment to help with pain instead of an opioid
• If you feel you must take some, take only a few over several days, as directed, and throw the rest out
• Ask your pharmacy if they'll accept leftover drugs to be disposed of--get it out of your house; sometimes police departments will host a 'turn in your drugs' event.
• Lock up any prescriptions so that no one else in your house can get at them
• If you feel you are having problems with overuse, tell your doctor so that you can be weaned off of it as soon as possible
• If you have children, let them know about the dangers of drugs in a calm, simple manner: Except for antibiotics, drugs are many times harmful to your health. Here are some guidelines that may help: https://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/children-and-drugs#1
• Stay engaged with people in some way: checking out and being anti-social may lead to wanting an 'escape'--detaching from friends by way of drug-induced euphoria
• There are people developing a national database to track opioid prescriptions; the database will be available to any medical provider or pharmacy to check whether a person has had excessive prescriptions filled for opioids.

For a thorough explanation, you can read this Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid