Opioid epidemic

“Opioid.” Maybe it's a term you have heard on television, maybe it's a term you’re not familiar with, or maybe you’ve made an opioid before, … if you’re a pharmaceutical scientist, regardless, there is an epidemic swarming our generations, ruining lives, and leaving behind a horrific footprint. Here is everything you need to know about the current Opioid Crisis.

What is an opioid?

An opioid is a drug found in an opium poppy plant in the 19th century, where one of its chemical compounds -- morphine -- was used for medical purposes in Ancient Egypt. Later, in the 20th century drug companies created synthetic drug compounds similar to opiates (substances made directly from the poppy), some of which are known as heroin, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and fentanyl. In the 1980s and 90s pharmaceutical companies began marketing opioid painkillers to the general public while aggressively downplaying their dangers and addictive nature. According to the CDC, “Since 1980, accidental deaths from opioid overdose have grown exponentially in the United states.” As the number of prescriptions skyrocketed it started what we call “the opioid crisis.”

How are they so addictive?

Prescription opioids are used to treat pain, and do so by blocking off pain signals from the body to the brain. Your body’s endorphins can regulate brain chemicals, as well; however, opioids are much stronger and manage much more pain than they can. When the drug binds to an opioid receptor it releases dopamine; giving the addicting pleasure and euphoria an intoxicated person feels. Aside from strongly regulating your brain’s chemical balance, a dose of an opioid will decrease the chemical in the body that controls your normal bodily functions. Therefore at dangerous doses, opioids can decrease heart and breathing rates to extremely harmful levels. Eventually the body begins to grow a tolerance for these opioids, leading a person to indulge in larger doses to experience the same euphoric feelings. Now creating a physical dependence and addiction that a person can’t run away from. Your body begins relying on opioids to regulate your bodily functions, and not the proper chemical, so the opioids become the new normal.

When a person abruptly stops consuming opioids, the balance is disrupted. There is no chemical regulating the natural bodily functions, so the body must make more of the original chemical that was responsible. However, the body becomes very sensitive to the necessary chemical, which leads to symptoms like muscle aches, fever, seizures, hallucinations, and the person enters the withdrawal phase. Now you are in a situation where using an opioid is killing you, but the side effects of quitting puts you at risk of losing your jobs while you’re in withdrawal, and some people may not have anyone to care for them. To some the only fix is to continue using.

Where/who is it affecting the post right now?

In the late 20th century the crisis began with middle aged folks who were being prescribed opioids. Now, it has moved on to an even younger generation. While it started primarily in the midwest, it soon became a national problem as synthetic opioids began entering the new markets. Synthetic opioids are synthesized in a laboratory that have similar characteristics and effects as natural opioids. These man made drugs are manipulated to be even more dangerous and addictive.

Why is it so bad right now/ why is it called an epidemic

In the last decade the crisis has gotten progressively worse. To start, corrupt pharmaceutical companies over prescribed opioids for years which harmed many as they became addicted easily. Additionally with the rise of synthetic opioids people were getting dependent on opioids which led them to indulge in cheaper drugs like heroin, and fentanyl (a drug 50 times worse than heroin and morphine) to feed their appetite, creating a cycle with no end in sight.

How is it being dealt with?

Now that we have discussed the crisis at hand, what can be done to combat it? Well, the first and most obvious is to control the distribution of opioid prescription. There are also certain drugs like naloxone, methadone, and buprenorphine that can block opioids from activating. Doctors and medical professionals require a specific waiver when prescribing these drugs, while there is no specific training or certification to prescribe opioid painkillers. There are also many therapy programs, however they never tend to be cost-friendly, and month long programs that require complete disbandment from opioid consumption will push people away because they cannot afford the effects that will ensue. Currently, researchers continue to study new drugs that will prevent an opioid from activating. Additionally, non-profit organizations gather funds to support victims in therapy to recover and stay sober. Solutions are near, but in order to beat the epidemic we must act faster than it does.