Oxycodone To Heroin Research Paper

The Reality of the “Hillbilly Heroin” Epidemic in Appalachia McDOWELL COUNTY, March 9—West Virginia’s Bureau of Public Health determined that the state of drug addiction and abuse in McDowell County, West Virginia is increasing in high numbers. McDowell County, known to be one of the poorest counties in America, is a community overwhelmed with the devastating effects of poverty and drug addiction. This is clearly a problem too dire to ignore. Background:

In the article, “Don’t blame addicts for America’s opioid crisis. Here are the real culprits” by Chris McGreal, America’s widespread opioid problem is discussed. Primarily, McGreal points the finger at multiple sources, such as the FDA, pharmaceutical companies, and the government, for aggravating the

Oxycodone is just the government harnessing another revenue of income if they can take advantage of victims of addiction just to take what they have left. It is their choice whether they take the government's so-called help but as the author said “Through all this, patients were getting used to demanding drugs for treatment. They did not, however, have to accept the idea that they might, say, eat better and

Hydrocodone and hydrocodone combination medications were rescheduled from Schedule III controlled substance to Schedule II controlled substances on October 6, 2014. This shift brought about several changes in prescribing practices and has produced several issues for patients who require pain control. Hydrocodone and hydrocodone combinations products should be reclassified as Schedule III controlled substances because patients who truly need this type of pain medication are being denied adequate pain control, in some states mid-level practitioners are no longer able to prescribe these medications, and emergency room physicians often avoid prescribing them even to those who present with obviously painful injuries or conditions. There are many patients who have become addicted to hydrocodone, due to it being an opioid medication and these addiction problem are what ultimately brought about the decision to change its classification, however those who take their medication properly are suffering as well. Hydrocodone, is a form of medication used to treat many types of pain.

Heroin is a depressant that is converted back to morphine when it enters the brain. It then attaches to opioid receptors. These receptors are located in many areas of the brain and are that control the sensitivity to pain and reward. After a hit of heroin, users feel a rush of euphoria along with a dry mouth and heavy limbs. After the feeling of euphoria has dissipated the user experiences a consecutively restless and drowsy

Methadone helps suppress opioid withdrawal symptoms because patients in this treatment program are given only one a day. According to the Camh, methadone lasts for about 24 to 36 hours, while heroin lasts for three to six hours, which are easier to overdose. Another benefit

Methods: The study conformed to the ethical standards of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Australian Catholic University ethics committee. Twenty-six adults aged 22 to 52 years were chosen for the opiate-user group and 30 adults aged 18 to 53 years with no history of drug use were chosen for the control group. There was no difference in gender, but the participants in the opiate-user group were long-term users and were all enrolled in an opiate substitution program. Participants were recruited to the opiate-user group with fliers in pharmacies and drug rehabilitation centers, and the control group using social networks. All participants gave informed consent and were given AU$20 (USD$20).

Underlying Causes: The increase in the sale of opioids is considered to be the root of the opioid crisis, as the drugs have been proven to be highly addictive. An addiction to prescriptive opioids, however, can lead to an addiction to synthetic, illegal opioids, such as heroine or fentanyl, which are less expensive and easier to acquire. In fact, in their journal article, “Associations of nonmedical pain reliever use and initiation of heroin use in the United States” Pradip Muhuri and associates discovered that “the recent (12 months preceding interview) heroin incidence rate was 19 times higher among those who reported prior nonmedical prescription pain reliever (NMPR) use than among those who did not (0.39 vs. 0.02 percent)” (Muhuri et. al). In other words, abusing prescription opioids significantly raises the chances of abusing illicit drugs, such as heroin.

First, there is alarming rise in mortality rates together with other formidable effects initiated by the anomalous use of opioid pain relievers. A study by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (2014) outlines that in 2009, more than 15,500 individuals in the United States died due to overdose on opiate pain relievers, a 300% rise in accordance with its history for the last 20 years. These alarming figures have increased the national interest regarding the climb in for script drug abuse in the United States. An additional cause is the escalating diversion of these drugs. Diversion in association with drugs implies to the illegal usage of licit dugs; and it happens when medications are counterfeit, medical records have been interfered with showing false information that a certain drug has been administered while it has actually been purloined, or when prescriptions go missing or stolen.

Dependence on prescription opioids can stem from treatment of chronic pain and in recent years is the cause of the increased number of opioid overdoses. Opioids are very addictive substances, having serious life threatening consequences in case of intentional or accidental overdose. The euphoria attracts recreational use, and frequent,

It can also be deadly for individuals abusing it. It 's important that this drug does also come with side effects, such as shortness of breath, vomiting, or even overdosing.   It can also be troublesome for the addict to get to the clinic every day for a dosage of methadone. "If individuals taking methadone develop a physical dependence on the drug and they stop taking it or decrease their dose they will begin to experience methadone withdrawal"(Methadone Statistics). Methadone withdrawal is far more painful and burdensome than other forms of opiate withdrawal and can last up to 5 or 6 weeks.

Sam Quinones’ Dreamland is a commentary about the opioid problem in America. Quinones draws attention to how in the twentieth century opioids were seen as addictive: “[D]octers treating the terminally ill faced attitudes that seemed medieval when it came to opiates” (184). In the 1970s, Purdue Pharma stated that opioids such as morphine were not addictive substances. After this study was released, many doctors began to view opioids as a viable option for pain relief. Throughout the rest of the book, Quinones explains the shift from doctors never prescribing opiates to prescription opiates being used to treat any sort of pain: chronic back pain, arthritis, severe headaches, etc.

These pills, such as xanax and oxycodone allow people for short periods of time to withdraw from the harsh reality faced today. “Between 1997 and 2002, sales of oxycodone and methadone nearly quadrupled” (Okie). Around 15 years later and the prescription pill problem is continuing to skyrocket. Since prescription pills are dispersed out to anyone by doctors, many people do not realize that it is as much of an illicit drug as cocaine and heroin is. “Misinformation about the addictive properties of prescription opioids and the perception that prescription drugs are less harmful than illicit drugs are other possible contributors to the problem” (NIDA).

Prescription drugs (opiates only) have caused over 165,000 deaths within the last 15 years and is currently on the rise. Over 2 million Americans in 2014 were addicted to Opiate prescription narcotics. The most troubling fact is listed directly on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: “As many as 1 in 4

Causes and Effects of Drug Abuse Substance abuse is a form of substance-related disorder. It refers to the harmful or hazardous use of substances that affects almost every community, including alcohol, tobacco and legal or illegal drugs. Drug abuse is one of the most commonly substance abuse in teenagers. It is a disease that is defined as a destructive pattern of using drugs that can cause significant problems or distress. The most commonly abused drugs among them are marijuana, cocaine, heroin and hallucinogens.