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Opioid Epidemic
Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illicit drug heroin as well as the licit prescription pain relievers oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl and others
Background
The abuse of and addiction to opioids such as heroin, morphine, and prescription pain relievers is a serious global problem that affects the health, social, and economic welfare of all societies. It is estimated that between 26.4 million and 36 million people abuse opioids worldwide, with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin.
How it works (Mechanism of Action)
- Dopamine is the main neurotransmitter in the most important brain-reward pathway (dopamine is released for food, sex, and social interaction)
- gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) prevents the release of Dopamine
-Morphine inhibits GABA; dopamine floods the synapses
- Four in five new heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers
- Opioids and heroin are very similar in composition
- Sales of prescription pain relievers in 2010 were four times those in 1999 (each Rx codes for more than one bottle, or abuse of system by using multiple pharmacies)
- Opioid overdose death rate in 2008 was nearly four times the 1999 rate;
Resources
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- American Society of Addiction Medicine
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
News
- Opioid Sparks HIV Outbreak in Indiana Town
- Doctors Grapple when to Prescribe Opioids for Pain
- Hospital ER becomes first in the Country to end Opioid Painkillers
- Obama announces new moves to fight opioid and heroin abuse epidemic
Professional Associations To Get Help
- Recovery.Org
- Aid in Recovery
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