PAIN is a common symptom of a number of conditions including cancer and one of the most frequent reasons for seeking healthcare. Acute and chronic pain result in considerable discomfort with a detrimental impact on the quality of life. Opioids are the mainstay of pain management for many patients with severe pain. Opioids are, unfortunately, also commonly abused drugs, and are well-represented in forensic toxicology investigations.

All opioids are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the body and brain. Opioid pain relievers are generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by a doctor, but because they produce euphoria in addition to pain relief, they can be misused (taken in a different way or in a larger quantity than prescribed, or taken without a doctor’s prescription). Regular use—even as prescribed by a doctor—can lead to dependence and, when misused, opioid pain relievers can lead to addiction, overdose incidents, and deaths.

An opioid overdose can be reversed with the drug naloxone when given right away. Improvements have been seen in some regions of the country in the form of decreasing availability of prescription opioid pain relievers and decreasing misuse among the Nation’s teens. However, since 2007, overdose deaths related to heroin have been increasing. Fortunately, effective medications exist to treat opioid use disorders including methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.

A NIDA study found that once treatment is initiated, both a buprenorphine/naloxone combination and an extended release naltrexone formulation are similarly effective in treating opioid addiction. However, naltrexone requires full detoxification, so initiating treatment among active users was more difficult. These medications help many people recover from opioid addiction.

One of the reasons why your doctor needs to manage pain medications so closely is that they can cause side effects, such as:

Constipation

Drowsiness

Nausea

Vomiting

Opioids can be dangerous if you take them with alcohol, or with certain drugs such as:

Some antidepressants

Some antibiotics

Sleeping pills

Withdraw Side Effects include:

Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting

Muscle pain

Anxiety & Irritability

Long-term Side Effects:

Abdominal distention and bloating

Liver damage (especially prevalent in abuse of drugs

that combine opiates with acetaminophen)

Brain damage due to hypoxia, resulting from

respiratory depression

Development of tolerance

Dependence

Low blood pressure, a slowed breathing rate and

potential for breathing to stop, or a coma

Over time, however, there will be symptoms of addiction. Some may include:

Weight gain or loss

Loss of appetite

Lack of interest in hobbies

Sleepiness or "nodding out"

Obvious euphoria

Decreased ability to concentrate

Difficulty maintaining responsibilities or problems at work.

Detachment from family members and friends, including spouses and children

Unstable moods, irritability, hostility, an "I don't care" attitude

Financial troubles

Loss of employment or housing

Legal trouble, such as a DUI

According to MedlinePlus, some typical symptoms of opiate addiction withdrawal include:

Chills and sweats

Muscle aches and pains

Headache

Nausea and vomiting

Diarrhea

Anxiety

Agitation

Runny nose and tearing eyes

An opioid overdose can happen for a variety of reasons, including if you:

Take an opioid to get high

Take an extra dose of a prescription opioid or take it too often (either accidentally or on purpose)

Mix an opioid with other medicines, illegal drugs, or alcohol. An overdose can be fatal when mixing an opioid and certain anxiety treatment medicines, such as Xanax or Valium.

Take an opioid medicine that was prescribed for someone else. Children are especially at risk of an accidental overdose if they take medicine not intended for them.

Naloxone is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist—meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids. It can very quickly restore normal respiration to a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped as a result of overdosing with heroin or prescription opioid pain medications.

There are three FDA-approved formulations of naloxone:

Injectable (professional training required): Generic brands of injectable naloxone vials are offered by a variety of companies that are listed in the FDA Orange Book under "naloxone" (look for "injectable").

Auto-injectable: EVZIO® is a prefilled auto-injection device that makes it easy for families or emergency personnel to inject naloxone quickly into the outer thigh. Once activated, the device provides verbal instruction to the user describing how to deliver the medication, similar to automated defibrillators.

Prepackaged Nasal Spray: NARCAN® Nasal Spray is a prefilled, needle-free device that requires no assembly and is sprayed into one nostril while patients lay on their back.

The Stigma is real!

While the government mulls action, policy makers stumble toward potential solutions, and the healthcare community points fingers over who started the opioid crisis, pain sufferers are caught in the middle, desperate to find relief and willing to try almost anything to get it.

“Beyond not being treated, the chronic pain community is being mistreated by being stigmatized,” Crisci stressed.

“Their families are told that they’re acting out for attention, that they need mental help, that the pain is all in their heads. It kills the foundation of their support system and makes recovery even more difficult,” Crisci said.

Key Takeaways

A lot of cultural and socioeconomic background plays a huge role in drug abuse. There is a stigma around mental health and addiction which needs to be changed in our society.

Opioid education exists but should be widely spread.

Key features to work on- peer to peer recovery resource, certified mentorship, support group community building. Push notifications, mental health component to help the vulnerable people.

Quality of life disintegrates as anyone get involved in addiction.

Bystander intervention has gone down in communities.

Key Takeaways

People of colour and lower income have high disparities.

People with traumatic, violent past are more likely to develop addiction

Stopping opioid usage is not the solution

Doctors do not specify side effects or outcomes of taking opioids while prescribing

Support groups help you get through dependence and traumatic chronic pain

Not everyone has access to mobile phones and internet

Key Takeaways

The value of people who are addicted to know they are not alone and to find a community is very valuable.

UI design- Big, Very simple and intuitive, Must be readable,Mellow colors to have a soothing effect on the users.

Experience is important, making sure people know that they are not alone and giving them information that’s actually relatable to them.

Creation of a community through app

Don’t con people into treatment - it’s important to empower them and let themselves choose.

Naloxone education is necessary not only for vulnerable people but also for family and friends.

Key Takeaways

There is no one path to recovery.

For PAATH, 65% of people are looking for a medical detox

30% are looking for further treatment.

Beds availability are very scarce.

This demographic needs help getting identification, they need transportation and basic need paperwork.

Correlation between addiction and depression. It can go both ways, depress > addiction… addiction > depression

The experience of homelessness is traumatic.

PAATH gives Narcan away because there’s no downside. Libraries now have Narcan. Public spaces like Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds have started arming themselves.