...Heroin Addiction Psyc 305 B-03 June 15, 2015 Abstract: This paper will serve to provide information about heroin addiction in our society. Heroin addiction is an epidemic problem in the United States and is growing every year. Factors such as genetics and environmental factors will be discussed as they relate to heroin addicts. Trends with prescription pain medication and their effects on heroin use will be discussed. This paper will also highlight the prevalence of heroin in the United States. Heroin affects different groups of people in all walks of life. Treatment for heroin will be discussed in the latter portion of this paper. This will highlight different options to fit specific needs. Addiction: a physical dependency on a substance (Doweiko, 2015), a chronic brain disease that causes compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences, (Addiction, 2015). There is no universally accepted way to define addiction. It seems that it is easier to qualify behavior as an addiction than it is to define the word itself. For the purpose of this paper we will use the four general categories of the DSM-5 to help identify and understand heroin addiction. This paper will serve to provide information about heroin addiction’s possible causes, prevalence and treatment. What causes heroin addiction? The causes of heroin addiction are not clear. As with most drugs it is thought that the user is trying to feel better or self-medicate...
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...The opioid crisis has reached a fever pitch as Surgeon General Jerome Adams is on the record stating,"The call to action is to … keep within reach, know how to use naloxone.” on NPR’s Morning Edition. By issuing this advisory for more people to become familiar with the overdose-reversing drug Naloxone, the Surgeon General is acknowledging the fact that in many parts of the country use of Naloxone by first responders has become as ubiquitous as providing CPR. When considering pseudoscience, particularly C.P Snow’s focus the “gulf of mutual incomprehension” between the humanities and sciences, there is no better current example than how pharmaceutical marketing lead to the misinformation about opioid addictiveness, overprescription opioids, and...
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...Synthetic Opiods: A New Crisis In 1980, a letter printed in the New England Journal of Medicine would start to change everything. The letter insisted that addiction to these new drugs was rare, especially in those with no prior history of addiction. Slowly, physicians started prescribing more and more synthetic opioids to their patients, especially those looking to avoid riskier orthopedic surgeries for their chronic pain and those suffering from terminal illnesses. Medical professionals were able to feel good about their ability to help their patients avoid surgery and help them effectively (some for the first time) manage chronic pain. In the 90s, everything changed. There was a swift shift (fueled in a big way by pharmaceutical companies) away from the tentative, opioid-shy opinions of past medical professionals. A new way of thinking emerged in which managing pain became the first focus of treatment. The pain scale illustrations that we have all seen in countless doctor’s offices were produced and used as a first line of questioning in all emergency rooms, urgent care facilities, and doctor’s offices. OxyContin, thought by many to be the drug that started it all in regards to the current opioid...
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...A Comparison of Methadone and Suboxone in Opioid Treatment Program Julien Nougarou Upper Iowa University Abstract Addiction to opioids is a common problem throughout the world. Maintenance treatments such as Methadone and Suboxone are effective in lessening the desire to consume illicit drugs, but they are not perfect options for drug treatment as each has negative effects, too. In this paper, both the positive and negative effects of the drugs Methadone and Suboxone will be determined and evaluated in order to better ascertain the better treatment. It was concluded that the effectiveness of each treatment can only be determined on a case-by-case basis, as the factors of success are often dependent on the patient receiving the treatment. There are various criticisms for both modes of treatment, but no other means of treating opioid addiction have yet to be found. There are improvements that could be made for both treatments, but regardless of improvements each mode of treatment is risky as there is no miracle cure for opioid addiction. Introduction In 1864, The New York State Inebriate Asylum, the first in the country, opened in Binghamton, NY. It was the first of a growing network of inebriate asylums that treated alcoholism and addiction to drugs such as opium, morphine, cocaine, chloral, ether, and chloroform. Today, when talking about opioid addiction and dependency treatments, two controversial but efficient treatments stand out from the lot: Methadone and Suboxone...
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...As one prescription drug abuser in his early 20’s explained: Once people (pill brokers) know you take them prescription opioids, they’ll start calling you. “Oh, it’s this time of the month.” Then they wait for that person to get their script. They know exactly in their head what day the script’s getting ready to come so they got the patterns down. Pill brokers and dealers reported congregating in open air drug markets typically strip mall and pharmacy parking lots, and outside methadone clinics to buy, sell, and trade prescription drugs. These markets were reported to involve a variety of transactions, including the purchase of prescription drugs for cash, as well as trades for crack and heroin. Pill brokers also reported the purchase of used fentanyl patches from nurses who have stolen them from pain patients or from disposal containers in hospitals. Some individuals frequenting the drug markets also barter their oxycodone for other opioids or benzodiazepines, typically alprazolam. Doctor Shopping focus group participants indicated that even in a small state like Delaware, doctor shopping appeared to be fairly easy. The vast majority of abusers reported obtaining medications through doctor shopping, and most reported frequenting at least four physicians in order to obtain sufficient amounts of their desired medications. Occasionally clinics and hospital emergency rooms were reported as locations for doctor shopping as well. A heavy user stated: Another focus group member...
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...Prescription Opioids Deanna Pannell Aurora University One of the growing problems in America is the abuse of prescription opioids. In the past 10 years, the misuse of prescribed opioids has gone out of control, making it a national issue that many people are attempting to attack. Prescription opioid use is increasing in public health, creating an epidemic that is growing rapidly. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse: opiates, depressants, and stimulants are the three drug classifications most commonly abused by Americans. A multitude of research on the subject has concluded that there is more than a single solution to the problem, such as taking immediate action as well as creating prevention strategies. I decided to do additional research on this topic since it plays a huge part in my career as well as personal life. Being a substance abuse counselor in the criminal justice field, I experience first-hand the effects of prescription opioid abuse. A large number of client’s participating in the TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities) are dealing with prescription opioid abuse due to an injury or surgical procedure. On April 25, 2015, my first cousin died from a heroin overdose at the age of 23. After a football injury, he was prescribed Hydrocodone and became addicted. Since the pills are too expensive, he began using heroin and his battle ended 5 years later. In 2009, 16 million Americans age 12 and older reported taking a prescription pain reliever...
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...Heroin Addiction and Treatment Abstract This paper offers a brief explanation of the history of heroin. Describing the origins of heroin, who discovered it and describe the detrimental effects heroin has on an individual. There are several treatment options available for heroin addicts and this paper will look at a few of the ones that have shown the most success. Heroin Addiction and Treatment Introduction: A Brief History of Heroin Heroin comes from the opium poppy. This plant has been used by a number of various civilizations going back to include ancient civilizations. Opium, heroin, and morphine are derived from the poppy. Opium had been used by Drs. in the United States for many years prior to the Civil War. When morphine was discovered Drs. switched to using morphine instead of opium for pain, mainly because the hypodermic needle had been invented and morphine could be injected and pain could be better controlled. Heroin was derived from a chemical process discovered by Felix Hoffman in 1874. Heroin was initially distributed as a pain killer, and cough suppressant by Bayer Company in 1898. Drs. initially thought that heroin could replace morphine because they thought heroin did not possess the addictive qualities of morphine. In fact Drs. used heroin to get their patient’s off morphine. They thought...
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...Southwestern Assemblies of God University School of Distance Education Methadone Treatment Programs are Effective in Stopping Heroin Use A Paper Presented to Professor Loyd Uglow, Ph.D In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Course THE 5113 Research Literature and Technology Sharon Pete November 28, 2012 THESIS STATEMENT: To investigate Methadone maintenance is found to be more effective in treating heroin addiction than 180 day detoxification. The objective is how methadone maintenance, a widely used but controversial method of weaning heroin addicts off the drug—with counseling has psychosocially enriched 180 day methadone assisted detoxification. OUTLINE I. INTRODUCTION A. History of Heroin B. History of withdrawals II. How Methadone is used to treat Heroin? III. Research Findings IV. CONCLUSION V. Work Cited Methadone Treatment Programs are Effective in Stopping Heroin Use Substitution treatment or maintenance pharmacotherapy programs using methadone are today the most sought after and effective form of treatment for opiate addiction and dependence. Because methadone is a long-acting opiate whose dosage can be stabilized, it is well suited for daily administration and has proven effective in the elimination of narcotic craving, a driving force behind continued heroin use. And, because it can be administered orally, methadone dramatically reduces heroin injecting frequency...
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...Prescription medication abuse In this research paper you will find that obtaining prescription medication is easier than going to find illegal drugs. Another, disturbing problem is the amount of deaths in the United States each year caused by the abuse of prescription medication. Some questions you might find yourself asking are why is this a problem, how can we resolve this problem, what are some long term effects from abuse of prescription medication, and what is the government planning to do to help resolve this issue? In recent years the abuse with prescription medications has come to a ridiculous number in the last decade across the world. I hope this paper helps you understand the significance of this worldwide problem. What is prescription medication abuse? Prescription medication abuse is when someone takes medication prescribed by doctor in a manner or dosage other than prescribed, or when someone takes prescription medication from somebody else and uses it in a manner or dosage other than prescribed (na, 2011). Abuse can include taking a friends or relatives’ prescription to get high, to relieve pain, or help with medical issue without seeing a physician. There is a reason why prescription medications are prescribed by a doctor, prescription medications are dangerous when taken with other medications or not taken properly. In many cases this may cause severe illness or even death. The most common abused medication is opioids. Opioids include pain relievers such as:...
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...Morphine Research Paper Pain is the body’s natural reaction to distress or damage to the tissues of the body usually due to illness or injury. There are different levels of severity of pain and several categories of drugs that treat it Morphine is a type of narcotic drug synthesized from opium. It is a drug called an opiate that is used to alleviate pain. Opioids are substances that bind to the kappa, lambda and mu opioid receptors in the brain. Morphine acts mainly on mu receptors to decrease the transmission of painful stimuli through the spinal cord from body to brain, as well as action within the brain itself. Currently, it is legal in Canada with a doctor’s prescription. Common brand names for morphine include Avinza, Kadian, MS Contin, MSIR, Oramorph SR, and Roxanol. Prescription If morphine is to be used in a safe and legal manner, many factors should be taken into account. For example, your doctor should be notified if you have asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, liver or kidney disease, underactive thyroid, curvature of the spine, a history of head injury or brain tumor, epilepsy, low blood pressure, mental illness, amongst other things. It is not recommended to take morphine with other opioids, as this could cause problems if your body is not opioid tolerant. Effects: Other than alleviation of pain, some effects of morphine include impairment of mental and physical performance, relief of fear and anxiety, euphoria, decrease in hunger, and inhibiting the cough reflex....
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...Nursing Research (B.t~E ), City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA Abstract Uadertreatment of pain and lack of knowledge about pain management have been evident for approximately two decades. Because nurses are often the cornerstone of pain management, nurses' knowledge in this area is especially important. This paper explores indications of progress in the level of nursing knowledge about basic aspects of pain management. The literature is reviewed and findings from recent (1995) surveys of nurses' knowledge are compared with results of similar surveys conducted beginning in 1988. Improvements in nurses' knowledge of pain assessment, opioid dosing, and likelihood of addiction seem to have occurred. However, knowledge deficits continue. Fewer than one-half of the nurses surveyed understand that the patient's self report of pain is the single most reliable indicator of pain and that the nurse should increase a previously safe but ineffective dose of opioid. Findings from surveys on addiction reveal that the longer the patient receives opioids the more concerned nurses become about causing addiction. Nevertheless, results of current knowledge surveys of nurses suggest that educational efforts probably have been beneficial and should continue. To maximize the impact of educational efforts, content in basic and continuing education courses should be prioritized and critically evaluated for relevance and accuracy, especially content related to addiction. Early...
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...In this paper I am going to argue why Marijuana has medical usage and the benefits of having it legalized for that purpose. Does marijuana have any medicinal use? Quite a few say yes marijuana does have medical use and yes it should be made legal for that purpose. The people that think this way are correct marijuana does have medical use. It has been used as medicine since 2727 B.C. were the first recorded use of cannabis as medicine in Chinese pharmacopoeia but not only was it used in China but every part of the world. Humankind has used cannabis for a wide variety of health problems for not just centuries but over a millennium. But there are still people who deny that marijuana had medical use. These people who are wrong marijuana does have medical use. They also have their own scientific studies...
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...Yurgelum-Todd et al (2009) has noted, derived from the opium poppy, heroin has been used as an alternative to morphine in dealing with addiction (Yurgelum-Todd, p. 175, 2009). Unfortunately, over the years it has consistently become prevalent that heroin has more negative aspects than anything; heroin is highly addictive, resulting in consequences such as overdoses, infections, violence and crime, deficits in memory, learning, and attention. The need to relieve pain by use of heroin and other drugs, though, results in opioid dependence, estimated to affect more than one million persons in North America alone (Oviedo-Joekes, p. 778, 2009). To relieve opiate dependence, researchers experimented with an opiate-agonist called methadone; the standard opioid-susbstitution treatment, to help reduce withdrawals and other negative consequences surrounding the use of drugs like heroin by producing a phenomenon called the “blocking-dose”, which blocks opiate receptors (Oviedo-Joekes, p. 778, 2009). Methadone was, in fact, the “first opiate agonist used in the pharmacotherapy of heroin addiction. Methadone is the best studied drug, but also the most controversial”(Maremmani, p. 7, 2008). This paper will discuss different research methods used to analyze the effects of methadone among patients who are willing to undergo the treatment. Specifically, the research focuses on the early impacts of methadone induction, the acceptability, safety and tolerance of methadone, and possible improvements...
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...Significance Telehealth is vital to those in need of substance abuse treatment. It is estimated that 90 Americans die each day due to an overdose of opioid use. There has been an uptrend of misuse and addictions of opioids which includes prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids. This is considered a national crisis that is having a major impact on public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions has estimated that the economic burden to the United States of opioid misuse is $78.5 billion a year. This estimation includes the cost of healthcare, treatments, and the criminal justice involvement (National Institutes of Health, 2018). This is one of the reasons why it is of great importance to get treatment...
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...problem that affects the justice system here in the United States, almost automatically I was drawn to my deep passion for recovery based solutions to drug and alcohol addictions. I have found my experiences in recovery, to repeatedly be surrounded with the pain of those whom have suffered and are still suffering from effects of their addiction(s). Many addictions have grown out of the same medications that when used properly, provided the relief sought to provide pain maintenance and therefore relief of such pain. I firmly believe that without some form of spiritual maintenance, recovery- both physical and mentally- is an endless merry go-round of medical doctors and drug dealers. As a recovering addict/alcoholic myself, my daily walk exposes me to the ever increasing ideology, of not only addicts, but the public at large, to the thought process of finding relief for every day undesirable thought and undesirable actions (according to some), to be the quick fix, which historically has been called the “magic pill” or “magical elixir” cure. In the near future, I plan to be a recovery counselor and placement specialist. I hope to be able to provide some experience based direction, on the path of recovery, to those whom still suffer. I felt the need to understand not only the options being provided for said addictions, but the history that brought those available possible solutions into existence. I personally believe that although methadone may be the necessary cure for some, it...
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