Opioid

are involved in this modulation of pain. One type of powerful mediator involved in pain modulation are opioids. Endogenous opioid peptides, as well as exogenous opioid agonists, bind and activate opioid receptors. Activated opioid receptors directly inhibit ON cells and also inhibit GABAergic interneurons which inhibit OFF cells, thus indirectly disinhibiting OFF cells. The net result of opioid receptor activation is inhibition of pain. Mesenchymal stromal cells secrete soluble chemical…

information, it can strengthen a society, shape opinions, enrich one’s knowledge, and serves as a backbone of democracy by ensuring the public is apprised on topics of national concern. One such topic of concern within our society is the nation’s opioid epidemic. Lives are being lost at an alarming rate, state and local governments are scrambling to address the issue with policy and programs, and the news media are capturing it all. Before news media effects can be accurately described, one…

nearly 15,000 deaths alone in 2008 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] , 2011). According to the CDC (2011) one hundred people die from overdose every day in the United States. In 2010 alone more than 2 million people used prescription opioids for no medical reasons (CDC, 2011). This is why congress and the United…

Morphine (MS Contin®, Avinza®, Kadian®, Embeda®, others) Morphine treats moderate-to-severe pain and is a Schedule 2 opioid. Although once available only as a rapidly acting formulation, long-acting products are now routinely prescribed to treat chronic pain. Morphine is the most prominent and active ingredient in opium. It was first extracted from opium some 200 years ago. Morphine is as easy to abuse as heroin and carries the same risks as heroin. To reduce the potential for abuse, the newer…

behavior eventually caught up with Cari and when she presented her problem with her doctor he belittled her and made her feel foolish for not understanding the risks of pain medications. With no help from her doctor, Cari who was now addicted to opioids had moved on to street heroin. Once a beloved mom who had it all was overtook by this drug. (“Chasing…

dying in the United States because of prescription drug overdoses. “Every 19 minutes, someone in the United States dies from an unintentional prescription drug overdose. One major contributing factor to the rise in such deaths is the increased use of opioid analgesics” (APHA, 2015). What is alarming is that even though these prescriptions were given for a medical reason, they ended up in the hands of people who abused them (CDC, 2013). Morbidity and mortality rates associated with prescription…

Question: Are opioids a beneficial treatment option for cancer patients? I. Introduction: Interesting opening remarks to grab the reader?s attention: quote, short story, startling statistics Thesis: What question are you exploring in this paper and why is it important to research? What is the answer to your thesis question (Are opioids a beneficial treatment option for cancer patients?)? II. Uses of opioids in cancer treatment What opioids are commonly used for cancer treatments? How are…

“Over 249,000,000 prescriptions for opioids were written in 2013-enough for every adult in America to have a bottle of pills.” (Citation 2). Prescription painkiller abuse is a proportional epidemic in the United States today. 44 people in the U.S. die each day from an overdose in prescription painkillers 1. (Citation 1). For the reason that doctors are the ones that prescribe the medication and pharmacists are the ones that distribute the opioids, there are concerns that they are the ones at…

Marijuana is a better alternative than Prescription Opioids. Opioid Opioids are drugs naturally found in the opium poppy plant. Some prescription opioids are made from the plant directly and some are made from scientists in labs using the same chemical structure (“Opiate Effects”). Opioids are used to make the body feel relaxed and treat moderate to severe pain, making it very easy to become dependent or addicted ("Opiate Effects”). Prescription opioids have many different effects on the…

Memoir: Pill Head In the following memoir, Pill Head: The Secret Life of a Painkiller Addict by Joshua Lyon, a twenty-seven year old gay journalist with an out-of-control addiction to opioids guiding the reader through his journey as an addict. The story starts with Lyon discussing how his addiction started in high school with drinking, marijuana and other drugs sprinkled in here and there, he discovers pills at eighteen and beings a love affair. While writing this memoir he weaves in stories of…