Opioids Essay: Examining the Medicinal, Recreational Use and Debate

This essay delves into the multifaceted world of opioids, exploring both their medicinal and recreational applications. It begins by defining opioids and highlighting their chemical properties, emphasizing their interaction with the body's opioid receptors. The essay then discusses the safe use of opioids for short-term pain relief, while also acknowledging the risks of addiction, overdose, and death associated with their misuse. A central theme is the ongoing debate surrounding the use of opioids, covering both sides of the issue. The essay examines research on the misuse, diversion, and injection of pharmaceutical opioids, particularly in the United States and other regions. It also touches on the public health implications, including the increased risk of lung cancer and the adoption of opioids for recreational purposes. The essay further explores the link between opioid addiction and mental health issues, including depression and schizophrenia. It also examines the controversy surrounding the use of opioids for non-medical purposes, as well as the decreasing use of prescription opioids analgesics (POAs) and the role of family and friends in providing these drugs. The essay also examines the use of opioids in managing non-malignant long-lasting pain, and the risks and benefits of using opioids for chronic pain. The essay also discusses the controversies related to the medicinal and recreational use of opioids, highlighting the importance of careful prescribing practices and considering the long-term effects of these drugs. Finally, the essay concludes by summarizing the various points discussed and reiterating the need for careful management and consideration of the risks associated with opioid use.

Running Head: OPIOIDS
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Opioids
Essay
student
4/1/2019

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Opioids
Opioids are the class of medicine that comprise the prohibited drug heroin, synthetic
opioids like fentanyl, and the relievers of pain obtainable legally with prescription, like
oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine (Savage, Joranson, Covington, Schnoll, Heit,
& Gilson, 2003). All type of opioids is chemically connected and interact with the opioids
receptors on the nerve cells in the human body and brain. The pain relievers’ opioids are
commonly safe when used for short period of time and according to the doctor’s prescriptions.
Although regular use might leads to dependence even if prescribed by the physician, and
distorted or misused, opioids pain relievers may leads to addiction, drug overdose, and even
deaths. The medicinal and recreational use of this drug is a topic of debate among the researchers
and socialists. Although the overdose related issues of this drug can be reverted by using
naloxone when used in a right way (Savage et al., 2003). In this particular essay the medicinal
and recreational use of this medication will be discussed. The critical equation related to 2 or
more sides of the current debate involving this drug will also he discussed.
There are different studies have been conducted on medicinal and recreational of opioids
use and provided evidence that, misuse, diversion and injection of the pharmaceutical opioids
seems to be a substantial issue for the United States, South Asia, certain Eastern European
nations, and, to a minor degree, Canada, New Zealand and Australia (Dasgupta, Kramer,
Zalman, Carino Jr, Smith, Haddox, & Wright, 2006).
Benson, Rasmussen, & Kim, (1998), reported that increase in the aggregation and re-
allocation of police resources positively results in the reduction of drug trafficking, and
combating hard drug use and arresting the criminals which will directly reduce the illegal drugs

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market. In the public health perspective Hall, & Degenhardt (2009), stated that there is increased
risk of lung cancer in current or former opioids users and the drugs are increasingly adopted by
the teenagers for recreational use; to enhance the sociability and generate intoxicating effects.
Opioid addiction is associated with mental issues, according to Sullivan, Edlund, Zhang,
Unützer, & Wells (2006), nearly 46.7 percent people from United States more than 12 years old
abused the opioids in 2002 and experienced symptoms like depression. Batel (2000) reported that
opioids addiction is associated with schizophrenia among the addicts.
Controversies related to the medicinal and recreational use of this drug has been occurred
time to time. A study conducted by Lynch (2013), found that use of nonmedical medical
prescription opioids or NMPOU is the matter of concern for physician and other health provider.
Although the use of prescription opioids analgesics or POAs is decreasing, they also reported the
there is no link between the common use of POAs and misuse of POAs. Most of the individuals
who are taking this drugs s non-medically for treating their pain. The source of these drugs for
them is from family and friends. Another study conducted by Savage, Kirsh, & Passik, (2008),
reported that the most carefully medical management cannot remove the threats associated with
the misuse of opioids. Specifically the among the individuals with past experience of drug
misuse or addiction disease, proper diagnosis, upkeep in the structuring management of opioids,
and favourable communication with the parents and members of care team can reduce the risk.
They also revealed that that management of pain can proceed efficaciously, and might even be
related to the reduced in drug misuse in courses or programs that apply highly structured
strategies and focus not only on the pain or addiction but on both issues. The authors also
recommended that the clinicians should rely on the extrapolated information, medical experience
in this sensitive area and the knowledgeable physicians should suggest that favourable

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compassionate strategy, or an approach that focus on both pain and addiction, can results in
satisfying results even for the most difficult patients.
The usage of opioids as a disease management for non-malignant long-lasting pain is a
topic of substantial debate. Until in recent times, opioids were kept for use merely in the
management of serious pain and malignancy pain syndromes (Dasgupta, et al., 2006). Chronic
pan associate with Non-malignancy was measured to be insensitive to opioid drug, or the
practice of opioid use was linked with too many threats. Fears of controlling pressure, medicine
abuse and the expansion of tolerance make an unwillingness to recommend opioids and
numerous studies have recognized this “underutilization”. Luckily, recent readings of doctors
specifying in pain, in addition to those who do not, have revealed that medicine of long-term
opioids is progressively mutual. Studies and well known medical trials backing the safety and
efficiency of opioids for the patients with long-lasting non-cancerous pain (Choo, Ewing, &
Lovejoy, 2016).
Some controlled trials conducted by researchers have recorded the effectiveness of
opioids in the management of chronic non-cancerous pain like painful peripheral neuropathy,
low back pain, and post-herpetic neuralgia. These investigations support the application of this
drug to deliver direct analgesic actions and not only to counteract with the unlikableness of the
pain (Lourenço, Matthews, & Jamison, 2013). In the management of chronic low back pain, the
transdermal fentanyl specifically decreased the pain and improved the functional incapacity. The
use of this drug found to be beneficial if taken orally to reduce the pain. The studies also
suggested that the opioids can also be used in treatment of inflammatory disorders like
rheumatoid arthritis and in the connective tissue diseases (Daniulaityte, Falck, & Carlson, 2014).
On the other hand, some researchers also found that using this drug for longer increases the risk

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of abuse and dependency. Studies revealed that every patient who developed issues with opioids
use had a past history of substance abuse. The maladaptive behaviours of patients like staling of
forging the prescriptions infrequently occurs among the patients suspected of dependence
(Asbridge, Cartwright, & Langille, 2015).
Terms like obsession, misuse, overuse, abuse, and the dependence have been applied
conflictingly to define numerous behaviours, building clarification of many investigation studies
problematic (Lucas, 2017). However, studies examining the threat of opioid misuse have been
comforting. In one reading of 12,000 diseased people cured with opioids, only four patients
deprived of a past of material abuse advanced dependency on the medicine. Addiction is distinct
as a mental rather than bodily dependence comprising a personal sense of requirement for a
particular psychoactive material, either for its favourable effects or to evade unfavourable effects
linked with its moderation (Rosenblatt, & Catlin, 2012). A study conducted by Griesler, Hu,
Wall, & Kandel (2019), on nonmedical prescription opioids (NMPO) among the parents and
adolescents collected data from nearly 35000 Kids and teenagers aged 12 to 17 years. The
interpretation and analysis of that data provided a specific knowledge of the link between the
parental and teenagers NMPO usage in the perspective of the risk factors. They also reported that
the parent based assistance targets at teenage NMPO use must deal with the parental NMPO
usage and smoking and promote the positive parenting. Adams (2019), conducted a study on the
prescription opioids addiction and abuse revealed that opioids painkillers are supposed to have
effect on the pain, but there is excess of injuries and expiries occurred as these drugs have been
advertised and inappropriately prescribed by the physician. They also reported that it is an
concerning reality in the globe of modern medicine, that the patients are currently dying from
the treatments prescribed to address the pain, and this not restricted to a specific city or country,

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it is happening in all over the world. It has been found that opioids pain relievers are the most
frequently misused or abused pain reliever medicine. Numerous factors subsidize to great rates
of recommending, comprising a deficiency of consensus about the suitable use and medicating of
these drugs, demand of this products among the patients who experience opioid addiction or are
then abusing or distracting these drugs and, specifically in the United States, the increase of for-
profit hospitals whose doctors might recommend opioid medicine cavalierly and outside the
evidence base.
On the other hand Dale, Hjortkjaer, & Kharasch (2002), investigated the treatment of
pain by using nasal administration of opioids. They reported that the nasal administration of
opioids shows a rapid onset of action in pain. They further stated that the self-administered nasal
use has the ability to be used on the ambulatory and hospitalized people, including the chronic
pain and specifically breakthrough paint. The controlled clinical studies linking impacts, side
effects, cost effectiveness aspects and the patient satisfaction as not sufficient, and it must be
encouraged.
Warner (2012) published an article on the use of opioids for the management of chronic
or long lasting non-cancer pain. They reported that opioids are well organised to be effective in
their efficacy in managing the acute pain. They also reported that the evidence of the benefits in
treating the chronic pain is not well established. Development of both pain and functional ability
must be measured as the main objectives of therapy. People with long-lasting pain have an
advanced occurrence of pre-existing mental disorders. Opposing effects of opioid treatment
include addiction, overdose, and withdrawal related issues. Risk aspects for poor results with
opioid treatment are recognized, and include pre-existing psychological illness and dose
recommended.

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There are comprehensible reasons why researchers, physicians and policymakers are
worried about overly generous access to opioid medicines that can place the patients at risk of
emerging addiction upon these medicines. It is copiously clear, though, that the concern over the
number of individuals who are not getting effective treatment for their pain is far greater than the
populace of persons with illegal opioid addiction (Lourenço, Matthews, & Jamison, 2013). This
indicates that an enormous number of individuals are being repudiated effective management
that has been labelled as “absolutely essential” by the World health organisation. High-risk
usage of prescription opioids is recurrent and cumulative in different parts of the world and is
linked with increased the overdose mortality (Lucas, 2017).
A study conducted by Herring, Ader, Maldonado, Hawkins, Kearson, & Camejo, (2014)
on the solution of opioids negative impacts revealed that The multimodal strategy to
perioperative management of analgesic which comprises simultaneous administration of
intravenous or IV acetaminophen and opioids, is operational in dropping the total regular amount
of opioids directed to the patient with chronic pain.
This essay has clearly described the meditational and recreational application of opioids.
The two fold discussion of the topic has been mentioned clearly. Opioids are the drugs that are
commonly used for the treatment of different forms of pain in the patients. These drugs are
advised to be used for short time as using it for longer time might leads to addiction and
dependence. The studies conducted on the medicinal and recreational use of this drug described
both benefits and disadvantages. Studies conducted on the negative impacts of opioids clearly
argued that these drugs should be prescribed carefully and the physician should consider the long
term effects of this drug. This specific medicine can cause addictions, overdose, abuse and
dependence. Some of the studies found that this particular drug has promising impacts on the

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pain associated with chronic inflammations, noncancerous pain, and chronic low back pain.
Although the evidence of the long term favourable effects of this drugs have limited evidence.
Therefore these drugs are replaced with new drugs.

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