8 THE TOWER
April, 2017
HEALTH Opioid addiction is skyrocketing in New Jersey
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: ROSE MARIE KITCHEN MANAGING/SPORTS EDITOR:
SARA RIDGWAY ONLINE EDITOR: BRITTANY PAVLICHKO
Photo: Creative Commons
By Dr. Josh Palgi When you have a mild headache or muscle ache, an over-the-counter pain reliever is usually enough to make you feel better. But if your pain is more severe, the doctor might recommend something stronger – a prescription opioid. Opioids are a type of narcotic pain medication. They work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and other areas of the body. They reduce pain messages sent to the brain and therefore reduce feelings of pain. While blocking pain, they also stimulate a portion of the brain associated with pleasure, producing a “high.” And that’s where the problem can begin. Common types of opioid drugs include Codeine, Fentany, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Meperidine (demeral), Methadone, Morphine and Oxycodone. Most of these drugs are taken orally although Fentanyl is available in a patch. If you don’t use this medication correctly, they can have serious risks, with side effects such as drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. Opioids can also be dangerous if you take them with alcohol or with certain drugs such as some antidepressants, antihistamines and sleeping pills. After taking opioid pain medication for a while, you might find that you need more of the drug to achieve the same effect in reducing pain. This is called drug “tolerance.” It is not the same as addiction, which involves a compulsive use of a drug. When you use opioid medication over an extended period of time, you can develop dependence. This can occur when your body becomes used to the drug and if you abruptly stop taking it, you may have withdrawal symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, muscle pain, anxiety and irritability. Opioids can make a dramatic difference to people with moderate to severe pain. These drugs can be an effective therapy – as long as you can use them safely and follow doctor’s instructions. You can also develop an addiction to opioid pain medications and compulsively seek out the pain medications. While the use of many street drugs is on slight decline in the US, abuse of prescription drugs like opioids is growing.
RUFF DOGS
Among teens, prescription drugs are the most commonly used drug next to marijuana, and almost half of the teens abusing prescriptions drugs are taking painkillers. Almost 50 percent of teens believe that taking prescription drugs is much safer than using illegal street drugs. Of the 20.5 million Americans 12 or older that had a substance use disorder in 2015, 2 million had a substance abuse disorder involving prescription pain relievers and 591,000 had a substance use disorder involving heroin. The most powerful prescription painkillers are called opioids. The most commonly abused opioid painkillers include oxycodone, hydrocodone, meperidine, hydromorphine, and propoxyphene. The drug abuse of and addiction to opioids such as heroin, morphine, pain relievers is a serious global problem that affects the health and economic welfare of all societies. One factor behind the surge in heroin and opioid use was the dramatic spike in the use of prescription painkillers. In 1991, doctors wrote to 16 million prescriptions. By 2011, that number had nearly tripled to 219 million, according to a report from National Institute on drug abuse. From 2000 to 2015, more than half a million people died from drug overdose. In 2015 alone, 52,404 Americans died from drug overdose and some 80 percent of the drug related deaths were due to misuse of opioids. Ninety-one Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. The increase in opioid overdose rates is driven in large part by illicit opioids, such as heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. Everyday, more than 1, 000 people are treated in emergency departments for misusing prescription opioids. The economic impact of the opioid epidemic is huge. Some $55 Billion is lost in health and social costs related to prescription opioid abuse each year. Emergency department and inpatient care for opioid poisonings alone amounts to $20 billion. The drug overdose statistics for 2016 in NJ aren’t yet compiled, but there were 1,587 drug overdose deaths in NJ in 2015, up 21 percent from 2014. These 1,587 lost lives were 2.5 times the number of the people killed in motor vehicle
By Quincy Rodgers
ONLINE EDITOR: CODY LOUIE WEB DEVELOPER/ ENGAGEMENT EDITOR: REBECCA PANICO VIDEO EDITOR: DAVID LONG
STAFF KIANA ANDERSON CRAIG EPSTEIN JOHANNA EKLADOUS JOEL JOLY KIARA MAYS JENNIFER PADILLA MONICA SUDFIELD
RAFAELA TEIXEIRA GAIL FREDRICKS JOSHUA ROSARIO ESTEFANI HERNANDEZ GREGORY PATUTO QUINCY RODGERS ADRIANO RUFFO
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accidents. Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation to limit narcotic painkiller prescriptions to a five-day supply instead of the 30-day supply doctors routinely prescribed to help fight abuse. A patient still in pain can get a refill but only in five-day increments. The Star-Ledger reported that 31 physicians last year who used their prescription pad to make money and feed the illegal drug market were arrested. Of the 31 doctors, eight lost their license, five served long term suspensions, 17 had their licenses temporarily suspended pending hearings, and one retired. Gov. Chris Christie has also commited to spend up to $15 million to fund an ongo-
ing anti-drug advertising campaign, called The Reach NJ, which feature the governor encouraging people to call a new helpline, 1-844-REACH-NJ ,and use the website ReachNJ.gov to find resources around the state to treat addiction. Too many Americans are feeling the devastation of the opioid crisis either from misuse of prescription opioids or use of illicit opioids. Addiction is a disease, and it can be treated. People in recovery can move on to lead healthy, happy substance-free lives. You must use the resources to learn about what you and your doctor can do and what can you do to keep safe while treating your pain.