The Opioid Epidemic

By: Rachael Lewis

Salt Lake Community College- Heath 1050

December 8, 2017
 As you may already know, here in the United states we are experiencing an

opioid epidemic. This is nothing new because it has become an increasing battle for

sometime now. Addiction is a real thing and it is starting to affect so many different

people in our country. The young the old the rich and the poor. At this point in time I

think pretty much everyone at least knows someone that is struggling or they are

personally struggling themselves. It is very scary at the rate it is going now and I dont

wish to find out where it is going to end if we dont do something about it. I would like to

discuss different aspects of opioids and how the effects are no longer only affecting the

users. Babies are also being born addicted and overdoses are happening all around us.

First things first, there are so many different types of opioids and different ways

of taking them. The first type of opioid are the most natural because they come from

opium itself. In this type of opioid we get morphine and codeine. In the medical field we

use use morphine as a pain reducer for people would have had surgery and codeine is

used as a prescription cough suppressant. Next, the second type of opioid comes from

changing the chemical makeup of morphine to get heroin and dilaudid. Heroin is

obviously an illicit drug but dilaudid is also used in the medical field as a pain reliever.

The third class of opioids come from making chemical changes to the makeup of

codeine. This is where we get our commonly abused opioid prescription medications

like percocet, oxycontin and vicodin. Lastly, the fourth class of opioids do not actually

come from opium like the first three do. Instead they are made and synthesized in a lab,

making them synthetic opioids. In this class we get methadone and suboxone which are

drugs we use for the treatment of heroin abuse.

 The reason opioids are so appealing to use is because they produce a dream-

like state and when taken a higher dose they will also produce sleep. These effects also

reduce pain of those suffering from chronic pain. Unfortunately studies have showed

that about 21-29% of people that have been prescribed an opioid for chronic pain are

misusing their medication. They are very addicting, once you start taking them some

people just cant stop even after their pain is long gone. The effects of opioids on the

body can be deadly and overdose is possible. The scary thing with opioids is they can

really slow down your breathing to the point where you could actually stop breathing

and die. Taking a non-lethal dose will slow down your breathing to begin with so if you

take too much you could actually die or cause some kind of brain damage because your

brain isnt getting enough oxygen to it. Also because opioids are so addictive when one

uses them long term it can lead to physical dependence so when they are not taken the

user will feel withdrawal symptoms which can be very unpleasant so the user usually

decides to continue to take the drug to avoid getting sick from withdrawal. This is a

vicious endless circle the user gets stuck in. They are in pain so they take the drug and

to avoid the consequences of not taking the drug they just dont stop taking which then

will cause them to build up a tolerance for the drug so they have to take a higher dose

to feel the same effects a lower dose used to achieve. This is the scary and sad reality

of opioid abuse. The endless circle.

In my opinion the saddest aspect of opioid abuse is when it starts to affect

unborn babies during pregnancy. This addiction has gone so far that the mother of the

baby cannot stop their addiction for the sake of the baby. I personally see this in my job

because I work in a pediatric department so we see the babies after they are born. It is
sad knowing these babies are born addicted and they have to experience withdrawal

symptoms as a newborn. This is called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and it

occurs because when drugs are taken during pregnancy they pass through the placenta

to the baby. Symptoms of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome include body shakes,

seizures, fussiness, poor weight gain and fever. Unfortunately the list goes on and they

can last from one week of age to six months after the baby is born. No baby should

have to go through that and really its only the beginning if the mother does not get help

for her addiction and wants to keep the baby. The child is going to have its own issues

related to the drug use during pregnancy and a dysfunctional family is not going to help

the situation. The next drug fix is going to be the mother's first priority if she doesnt get

help, which in this case I believe after the baby is born certain things have to happen in

order for the birth mom to have custody of the baby. They have to be willing to start

treatment and they have to be enrolled into a program. Child protective services also

becomes involved as well for the sake of the baby, but that is really only the beginning.

Everyday more than 90 Americans are dying due to an overdose of some kind of

opioid whether is is prescription pain medication, heroin or synthetic opioids, people are

dying. This is why we have an epidemic on our hands. People are misusing their

prescription medications and once they can no longer get the prescription drugs, they

transition to heroin because it is easier to get. The addition has gotten out of control and

we need better resources to help those in need. One way of doing so it unfortunately

through synthetic opioids like suboxone and methadone. These opioids can at least

help with the abuse of heroin and they help take away the craving of heroin. Methadone

is a slower acting drug than heroin and the effects can last for about twenty-four hours
because it is taken orally. There are treatment centers where patients can come in for

their daily dose as part of a maintenance program. The other drug suboxone is a drug

that only needs to be taken three times a week instead of daily and it can be prescribed

by a physician instead of the maintenance programs. So far it has been very helpful in

the treatment of heroin abuse and hopefully will continue to be successful. The only

downside to these medication is the user has to want to take them and they have to

have the motivation to stay clean. You cant force them to take their daily methadone or

their suboxone three times a week. If they decide they would rather take heroin, they

are going to skip the maintenance dose and go for the heroin. That the problem, they

must be in the right mindset because if they are not ready they are just going to relapse.

With potential of overdose with heroin being so high advances now have a drug

that can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. This drug is called Naloxone or

Narcan. It has been very successful in treating opioid overdose because it can reverse

depressed breathing and stabilize blood pressure in a matter of minutes. In my eyes this

is a life saving drug that should be available to anyone with an opioid addiction. It

doesnt have any effects for people that are not on drugs so there is no need to worry

about a new addiction. It only has effects if morphine or other opioid drugs are in your

system. I know there are controversies about this drug being available to everyone but if

I had a loved one that had an opioid addiction I would have a little peace of mind having

naloxone on hand just in case of an accidental overdose. Timing is crucial with an

overdose because if you notice too late they will die or have a very serious brain injury

and probably will never be the same. This is why I believe it should be available to

everyone. Maybe the numbers of deaths each year would decline if it was available just
in case of an overdose emergency. The addict will continue to be an addict but if you

had one way of helping them during an overdose maybe it can help this epidemic we

are stuck in at the moment. It is not encouraging the use of opioids but it is encouraging

getting them help when they have gone too far and they are ready for treatment.

I am very scared for our future at the moment in our current predicament. The

opioid problem has gotten out of hand and we need to start doing something about it.

Prescribers now have stricter guidelines to follow and need to be careful when

prescribing opioids. Also treatment programs need to be more available to those in

need. These people can not be stuck on a six month waiting list because those six

months could be life or death for them. With better resources I hope we can start getting

those in need the help the deserve. Its always going to be a problem and usually 40-

60% of people relapse after treatment, but its the other 40% that we also need to think

about and know there is a better future for everyone including the children dragged in

this sad situation.

Bibliography:

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis
https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/overdose-response/index.html
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/painkillers/understanding-why-painkillers-
become-so-addictive.html
https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/neonatal-abstinence-syndrome-(nas).aspx
http://www.seattlechildrens.org/healthcare-professionals/education/continuing-medical-
nursing-education/neonatal-nursing-education-briefs/long-term-outcomes-of-infants-with-
nas/