Our effort is to create widespread awareness through education and provide a platform for analytical reporting that help researchers, scientists, academicians, opioid experts and the entire medical field to identify trends and patterns that can help implement targeted solutions to control this widespread epidemic. Opioid abuse, addiction, and overdoses are serious health problems in the United States.
Opioids are a type of drug also called narcotics. They are strong pain relieving prescription medicines. Some are oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, tramadol etc.
The illegal drug heroin is also an opioid. Some opioids are made from the opium plant, and others are synthetic (man-made). A doctor may give you a prescription opioid to reduce pain after you have had a major injury or surgery. You may get them if you have severe pain from health conditions like cancer. Some doctors prescribe them for chronic pain. Opioids have side effects such as drowsiness, mental fog, nausea, and constipation. They may also cause slowed breathing, which can lead to overdose deaths.
Other risks of using prescription opioids include dependence and addiction. Dependence means feeling withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. Addiction is a chronic brain disease that causes a person to compulsively seek out drugs, even though they cause harm. The risks of dependence and addiction are higher if you abuse the medicines. Abuse can include taking too much medicine, taking someone else’s medicine, taking it in a different way than you are supposed to, or taking the medicine to get high.
Women more likely are abusing opioids during pregnancy. This can lead to babies being addicted and going through withdrawal, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Opioid abuse may sometimes also lead to heroin use, because some people switch from prescription opioids to heroin. The main treatment for prescription opioid addiction is medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
It includes medicines, counseling, and support from family and friends. MAT can help you stop using the drug, get through withdrawal, and cope with cravings. There is also a medicine called naloxone which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and prevent death, if it is given in time. To prevent problems with prescription opioids, be sure to follow your doctor’s instructions when taking them. Do not share your medicines with anyone else. Contact your doctor if you have any concerns about taking the medicines. NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse
