Opioid Epidemic Analysis

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An epidemic can be described as an outbreak in disease to a large population. The opioid addiction fits the label of an epidemic because it is a fast moving illness of addiction affecting the whole country. In the United States, over 115 people die everyday from opioid overdose. Many of those deaths are caused by drugs that were prescribed by medical professionals. Creating a new demographic. The opioid crisis can affect almost any person of all age, race, social class and gender. It’s likely for people who are addicted to painkillers to eventually become addicted to harder and more harmful drugs, like heroin and fentanyl for example. The opioid epidemic has been so prevalent in the United States for the last couple of years it’s important …show more content…
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates.” To go along with that in an article by PBS Frontline it says, “By 2014, opioid deaths were up 369 percent, while deaths from heroin jumped 439 percent, according to CDC data.” Because doctors started to prescribe them more and more people began to misuse the drugs and as time went on they only prescribed the opioids more often. It then took the healthcare providers a bit of time before they realised these painkillers are highly addictive. The amount of people who have become addicted or overdosed on opioids has only increased since then. But, the pharmaceutical companies made a lot of money off of the opioids, so they are still being used today. It used to be very easy for people to get a hold of prescribed opioids because doctors will give them to almost anyone claiming to be in …show more content…
In order to understand what is being done with the opioid crisis, one must understand how opioids expose patients to addiction. Opioids are made for patients that have pain. According to “Opioid Crisis Fast Facts”, Opioids bind to receptors in the brain and spinal cord, disrupting pain signals. They also activate the reward areas of the brain by releasing the hormone dopamine, creating a feeling of euphoria or a “high” (CNN). Knowing how opioids affect the brain directly; Scientists begin targeting specific parts of the brain in prescription drugs. The National Institutes of Health helps to avoid the opioid crisis by creating new safe, and effective, medications to help with chronic pain. However, creating new drugs can be very expensive and time consuming. N-001: a medication being designed in a lab is made to help chronic pain but their drug is missing something – the high. Knowing that the main attraction to prescription pills is the “euphoria” or high, created by them. By eliminating the main source of addiction (Guardian). It took years to develop the N-001 medication. Time is a huge factor in solving the opioid crisis. The opioid crisis continues to grow while research is being done in the labs. Physicians will continue to prescribe opioids in the meantime, causing opioid addiction to rise. A lot of
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