The Dark Truth Behind The Opioid Crisis: From Painkiller To Gateway Drug
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2024
- Today we will be focussing on a dark epidemic, boiling just under the surface, while destroying millions of lives: the raging opioid crisis. It involves the medical world, big pharma and the illegal distribution of several drugs.
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Let’s talk some numbers first: The number of opioids prescriptions in the US in 2020 were 142,816,781, or 43.3 prescriptions per 100 Americans. It is estimated at about 3 millions Americans and about 16 million people worldwide suffer from an opioid addiction.
This means the problem is massive, which makes it important that you understand what opioids are: They are substances which bind to the opioid receptors in our bodies. Each opioid has an unique binding affinity with the various classes of opioid receptors and activating or suppressing a certain type of receptor leads to a specific neurological response.
The most common effects of opioids are: pain relieve, sleepiness, relaxation, euphoria, nausea, vomiting, constipation, slow breathing, dyspepsia, drowsiness, tiredness, confusion, dizziness, headache, itching and several mental health effects.
Commonly prescribed opioids are: oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, codeine, fentanyl, morphine and tramadol.
A deep dive in the history of opioids:
The history of opioids starts with the poppy plant, which contains a mixture of codeine and morphine, called opium. There is archaeological evidence that people have been using opium since 5700 BC. Through history there were several opioids epidemic, quite similar to the one we face today.
Todays opioid epidemic:
Since the 1990s there has been a rapid increase in overuse, abuse, and overdose due to opioids. In the late 1990’s there were about 100 million people dealing with chronic pain. Which meant a huge market for painkillers. Due to increased demand from patients, financial incentives from big pharma and several government driven policies, the number of opioids prescriptions increased: from 76 million in 1991 to 219 million in 2011, to 289 million by 2016.
impact of this opioids crisis. As you can imagine opioid abuse soon leads to significant medical, social, psychological, and economic consequences not only for the users, but also for their families, employers and society as a whole.
What can you do? And how do we get out of this mess.
First of all, opioids addictions and overdosing are preventable, if a person receives proper medical treatment. Which makes it very important that you know when to contact your doctor.
So contact your doctor: if you're taking opioids and you've developed tolerance, if you are taking more than your prescribed dose, if you have used opioids for more than several days in a row and if you feel like your life is affect by your opioids use. Common first signs of opioids use disorder are changes in your behavior, like spending more time alone, losing interest in activities, mood swings, sleeping at odd hours, getting in trouble with the law and financial hardships.
Next up, it is also important that you are able to recognize a potential opioid overdose. This may save someones live. Remember these 3 signs: pinpoint pupils; unconsciousness; and difficulties with breathing. If you do recognize them immediately call an emergency number or ambulance.
- Disclaimer: this video and the comments are meant purely informational! This is not medical advice! If you are looking for medical advice always contact your own doctor. -
Literature:
1: Johns Hopkins Staff. (2023). Opioids. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
2: CDC. (2021). U.S. Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps. CDC.
3: M. Azadfard. MR. Huecker. JM. Leaming. (2023). Opioid Addiction. StatPearls. Treasure Island.
4: J. Paris. C. Rowley. RG. Frank. (2023). The economic impact of the opioid epidemic. Brookings.
5: World Health Organization. (2021). Opioid overdose. WHO.
6: Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022). How opioid addiction occurs. Mayoclinic.
7: U.S. Department of Justice. (2021). Opioid Facts. Justice.gov
8: A. Kotlińska-Lemieszek. Z. Żylicz. (2022). Less Well-Known Consequences of the Long-Term Use of Opioid Analgesics: A Comprehensive Literature Review. Drug Des Devel Ther. 16:251-264
* The images in this video are used for educational purposes only. Most of the images and video material in this video come from www.canva.com/.
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The problem with this is that there are cases where alternatives are contraindicated, such that its not as straight forward as it seems. Leaving someone in pain is an abuse of human rights to boot.
All the problems that you mentioned about people ON opioids, also is the case with people who are left to suffer with insufficiently treated PAIN! Did you ever think of that? People in pain have trouble going to work! When at work, how effective can they be? How good can they at parenting when they are constantly in PAIN? Why does the medical community continue to be ignorant of logical issues?
I still have understand zero why someone would get addicted to a pain killer
Do I need a prescription to buy lamotrigine and valproic acid from the Netherlands?
Just got prescribed Norco 5/325 after I got my gynecomastia bilateral surgery, but I'm avoiding them as they also slow down the recovery. Luckily, I have a high pain tolerance. As it's a day after surgery and the pains at a 5 so I'm gonna try and hold off on the even the Tylenol and try to power thru the first few days of recovery.
This was a well made video, I wish it had more views.
Ik probeer het nog eens, via de andere kanalen lukt het helaas niet. Hoe is het met het Noorse boskatje Muis? Ook als het niet goed is zou ik dat graag horen.
Hallo! Het gaat heel goed met muis, via welk kanaal had je ons proberen te bereiken? Ze is nog steeds erg lief, wel wat volwassener geworden en kan goed opschieten met de andere kat!
@@howtomedicate hier op jouw kanaal, instagramm en Facebook. Heel fijn om te horen dat het goed gaat!
I understand what you are saying but I don't believe you have all the information.
Thanks! Now I’m very glad I live in Germany, where doctors (at least GPs) are more than reluctant to prescribe opioids.
The "gateway drug" ..... is CIGARETTES !!!