the drug/poison, can kill2
. Only the amount
needed to achieve the effect differs. Pain relievers have another liability; they
Commonly Abused Medications
Opioids
Derived from the opium poppy (or synthetic versions of it) and used for pain relief. Examples include hydrocodone (Vicodin©), oxycodone (OxyContin©, Percocet©), fentanyl (Duragesic©, Fentora©), methadone and codeine.
Benzodiazepines Central nervous system depressants used as sedatives to induce sleep, prevent seizures and relieve anxiety. Examples include alprazolam (Xanax©), diazepam (Valium©), and lorazepam (Ativan©).
Amphetamine-like drugs Central nervous system stimulants used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Examples include dextroapmphetamine/ amphetamine (Adderall©), methylphenidate (Ditalin©, Concerta©).
affect the nervous system’s transmission of nerve signals we perceive as pain. Tey also stimulate areas of the brain that are associ- ated with pleasure. So at the same time they are blocking pain, they produce a ‘high’ and can distort the user’s perception of reality. Te person’s behavior can be irrational, inappropriate, and even destructive to him/ herself and others. Tey are not discriminate to which sensations are blocked to the brain. Te desirable sensations, unfortunately, get blocked along with the unwanted ones. So while providing short-term help for relieving pain, they also effect alertness and cloud one’s thinking; hence the warning about driving or operating mechanical equipment while taking medications. Because of the way drugs affect your body and mind, if drugs are not used as intended, they can be just as dangerous as illegal drugs. Pain management drugs, by design, are
intended to ‘mask’ the pain for which they are taken. Tey do not ‘cure’ anything. Us- ers overlook the risk by taking these highly potent and mind-altering drugs. Long-term uses of painkillers can and oſten do lead to dependence. Tis includes people who are justifiably prescribed painkillers to relieve a medical condition but eventually fall into the trap of abuse followed by addiction. In some cases, the dangers of painkillers do not surface until it is too late. In 2007, for example, abuse of the painkiller Fentanyl killed more than 1,000 people, and was ultimately determined to be 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin3
.
A Brief History Highly addictive opiates, originally derived
Photo Source:
http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/ rxbrief/. Policy Impact: Prescription Painkiller Overdoses
from the poppy plant, have been used for thousands of years for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Te most active sub- stance in opium is morphine, a very powerful painkiller that is also highly addictive. First extracted from opium in pure form in the
12 datia focus
early nineteenth century, it was widely used as a painkiller during the American Civil War, where many soldiers became addicted. In 1874, chemists worked to find a less ad-
dictive form of morphine and created heroin. Tey ultimately discovered heroin had twice the potency of morphine, and heroin addic- tion soon became a serious problem. Methadone, a synthesized (man-made)
opiate, was developed while searching for a painkiller that would be easier to use during surgery while less addictive than morphine or heroin. However methadone is believed by many to be even more addic- tive than heroin. Newer, man-made, opiates came on
the market, which imitates the body’s own painkillers and received approval from the Food and Drug Administration. They are opium-like compounds manu- factured to react on the nervous system in the same way as drugs derived from the opium poppy--like heroin. Of these new synthesized opiates, oxycodone, which is as powerful as heroin, affects the nervous system in the same way. It is sold under many familiar names such as: Percodan, Percocet and Oxycontin, and has the greatest potential for abuse along with the greatest dangers. Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), available in
tablet form, is considered eight times more potent than morphine and is oſten called “drug store heroin” on the streets. Users have been known to crush the tablets prior to injecting, snorting or smoking the drug. ‘Crushing’ the tablets destroys the con- trolled released mechanism, and provides the users more immediate effect. Users who inject it, say it creates a feeling that is identical to shooting heroin.
What’s the Solution? States play a central role in protect-
ing the public health, and regulating health care and the practice of the health professions. As such, states are a critical component to reversing the prescription
winter 2013
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