Zohydro is an opioid analgesic hydrocodone that no contains acetaminophen is a 12-h extended-release formulation. Its approval was against the FDA’s expert panel recommendation. Opioids have been widely used as treatment for non-cancer chronic pain. However, it may be some misunderstanding in the efficacy and safety of this drugs because of their potential misuse, abuse and addiction.…
Dreamland, by Sam Quinones, focused on the opiate epidemic that has been flourishing within America. Similarly, the documentary, Heroin Cape Cod, USA focused on the widespread abuse of Vicodin, Percocet, and Oxycodone that has led the U.S. into the rise of an opiate addiction today. Both of these sources not only focused on the operations behind the administration of opiates like heroin, but also the factors driving the epidemic in the U.S. A driving factor of the opiate epidemic both emphasized in Dreamland and Heroin Cape Cod, USA was the over prescription of opiates, leading to what is known as “pill mills.” It is important to stop and to reflect on the statistic that 80% of heroin users start with prescription pills.…
The Pharmaceutical industry is a $300 billion dollar business which receives a lot of scrutiny in regards to their purpose, side effects, and lucrative schemes (Prescription Drug).The effects of the prescription drugs can be deadly if not used properly. Prescription drugs are responsible for more deaths annually than illegal drugs (Mercola). Ironically, the thing that is supposed to help individuals with their health concerns is actually killing them instead. This is the result of patients receiving prescriptions with the doctor’s expertise. On the other hand, if individuals were permitted to receive medication upon request, regardless of their symptoms or lack thereof, then the consequences would be dire.…
The Opioid Crisis refers to the drastically increased and popularized usage of opioids, especially fentanyl. In Cambridge, the core Galt area is mostly affected by this issue, as many used drug needles can be seen in the surroundings. There have been countless cases of fentanyl overdoses in Cambridge, and kits including a drug known as naloxone is being used to reverse the effects of opioids. There is currently debate surrounding the topic of establishing supervised and safe injection sites, and where they should be located.…
Prescription opioids are intended to be used for a limited period to treat higher levels of pain, but unfortunately, they are often misused and even abused. An estimated 90 Americans die every day due to overdosing on opioids. On the side of preventing the opioid crisis in America, all opioids should be…
Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, a synthetic drug called fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and many others. Opioids work by binding to the body’s opiate receptors; highly concentrated in areas of the brain that control pain and emotions. When opiate drugs bind to these receptors, they can drive up dopamine levels in the brain’s reward areas, producing a state of euphoria and relaxation, some people get the urge to use the drug again and again. Kentucky in the past four years has had over 800 overdoses from heroin alone. Boone County has had almost 300 in the past four years.…
Treatment vs. Incarceration for Opioid Abuse There are more than 15 million Americans that suffer from opioid abuse disorder (WHO,2014). This paper looks at treatment options verses incarceration. Out of the 2 million people in federal and state prison more than one-quarter of them suffer from drug abuse (Common Sense for Drug Policy, 2016). What is more astonishing is that most of them do not receive the treatment they need to recover from their opiate addiction.…
My name is Megan Johnston and I am a registered nurse at a local hospital with nine years of critical care experience. During my career at the bedside, I have watched numerous parents, children, and other family members have to make the difficult decision to take their loved one off of life support and watch them die after an opioid drug overdose. To watch how devastating this is for patients and their loved ones is both heart wrenching and disturbing to me as a healthcare professional. The opioid crisis began to spiral in the 1990s when pharmaceutical companies told providers and prescribers that patients would not likely become addicted to opioid pain relievers, and therefore they were prescribed more frequently, which subsequently led to…
According to prescription data from the IMS Health, “at the beginning of 2006, there were 47 million prescriptions dispensed per quarter in the United States for the opioid analgesics included in this study. Prescription volume peaked in the fourth quarter of 2012 at 62 million prescriptions dispensed.” (Dart). This increase in prescription directly relates to the substance’s abuse as “the rate of prescription opioid abuse increased from 1.6 per 100,000 population in 2005 to 7.3 in 2010” (Dart). When doctors prescribe these drugs, usually the opioids hurt more than help.…
Usually when patients go to the hospitals the doctors will review the medication regiment and they will adjust the medications by decreasing or discontinuing some of the medications. John is receiving Methadone, Neurontin and Norco together with Tylenol PM. Norco and Methadone both contain opioid which is addictive and can cause withdrawal if these meds are cut down or discontinued. John is undergoing a procedure that will also require to reduce opioids intake due to risk for diminished or stopped breathing during surgery.…
America has had an ongoing problem with drug epidemics, we are currently in the middle of a country-wide heroin epidemic. To slow or stop the epidemic we need to look back on our past drug epidemics, specifically the cocaine epidemic, for it is relatively modern. During the cocaine epidemic, America and the people in it did some things well, but also a lot of things bad. The only way for us to move forward is to look back and learn. We need to check ourselves right now for what we have already done in the epidemic and make sure we are not making the same mistakes.…
If a person does however become addicted to a narcotic, there are evaluative processes and treatment plans to help a patient overcome their addiction. Treatment requires ongoing behavioral changes and hope that their body can accept another form of pain relief. For the future of the opioid crisis, I feel it is all about customer satisfaction. If the patient is not happy with their level of treatment and relief of pain, then that is portrayed as a disgrace to that doctor or healthcare team. Nursing is about patient centered care and quality of care, and if the patient isn’t satisfied with an order for ice & heat packs and exercise for 30 minutes a day instead of a pain pill, then the doctor or clinician is more likely to prescribe an opioid pain med without knowing whether the patient is truly in pain or what is causing…
There are cost problems along with the possibility of addiction when opioids are prescribed to individuals seeking pain relief. The use of opioids by medical practitioners should be reduced and more alternatives should be introduced into the medical practice as a cost-effective way to save money and help people. The introduction of the less expensive medications will prove to be better for the patient in terms of being able to receive the medication. Doctors should have encouragement to review other options before prescribing the opioids because of the opioids addictive nature and the cost of the drugs. If the patient is able to recover from injury or a sickness without paying too much and without becoming addicted to a medication then it is a good thing for both the patient and the doctor.…
Opioids and Incarceration Incarceration of individuals is rapidly rising and the “war on drugs” has targeted opioid addicted users with no other ways of treatment other than jail time. Opioids are widely used for people with legitimate problems and the easy accessibility is making it possible for people of all ages and race to get a hold of. The crisis of opioid epidemic is only getting bigger along with the jail population. Anything from Xanax to Codeine can be easily attainable for the purposes of getting high. Another that is illegal, is heroin.…
Is the policy of giving methadone to drug addicts a good one? Methadone Maintenance Treatment is a very controversial topic that arises many opinions about the program. Some people believe that Methadone treatment is a good thing and that it does truly help addicts get over their addictions, while others are against the use of Methadone as treatment because they believe that it is not very successful and a waste of money. I personally am against the use of methadone because it does not stop addicts from continuing to use drugs while undergoing methadone treatment and lacks evidence of actually working a significant amount of the time. Firstly, I am going to explain what methadone treatment is.…