Coexistence Of Pain And Addiction; Pain Cause Or An Effect

July 26, 2015

Coexistence Of Pain And Addiction; Pain Cause Or An Effect

According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heroin use has hit a staggering 63% increase in the United States U.S. Based on the report, use of the narcotic drug was recorded at a low of 1.6% of Americans aged 12 years and above in 2002. A decade later percentage of the American population within the age brackets using the addictive substance increased to an average high of 2.6 each year. The report also pointed out heroin use among the feminine gender shockingly doubled that of men in a similar study period.

Increased Opioid Use Cause of Amplified Addiction

The increase of heroin use among women was however attributed to increased opioid pain killer prescriptions. Women understandably have more related and complicated medical conditions. In related medical reports, abuse of opioid painkillers has increased significantly since the 1990s to this date. Between the period 1999 and 2006, individuals aged 12 and above reportedly used pain medication prescriptions for non-medical reasons; their numbers increased from 2.6 million in 1999 to 5.2 million in 2006. In the latter calendar year, 5.2 million publics self-reported abusing the opiate narcotic prescriptions. According to the reports, close to 5 million of the U.S. populace is affected by opioid pain and addiction related pills, further leading to well over 17,000 deaths.

The abuse has paralleled that of heroin use in a similar period as illuminated above. Over time therefore women have increased opioid pill prescription as a result of pain compared with their counterparts, hence the increase. To understand these reports more clearly and what they mean in the subject pain and addiction, continue otherwise… http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com for related articles and information on an upcoming Integrative Addiction Medicine Conference.

Pain and addiction

Addictive Opioid narcotics Used as Pain Killer

Back to our discussion, opioid is a narcotic pain killer pill medication often prescribed by medical doctors. It is an integration of various narcotic drug substances including: methadone, codein, morphin, Oxycontin, hydrocodone, and heroin; the latter being the most popular of the pain and addiction therapeutic narcotics. The opiate pain relief pill prescriptions vary in level of effects to the body. But most significantly they depress the central nervous system, and reduce rate of body functioning; both physical and psychological pains. While they are often prescribed for prescribed medical reasons to be used within specified durations, mostly to deal with pain and addiction related problems, there are reports extended use of the opioids cause addiction.

Effects and Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal

Effects of opiate addiction are allegedly far-reaching, or if you may are devastating. Opioid addiction leaves not a single aspect of an addict’s life unscathed. Some of the most common effects of the opiate narcotics addiction include: damage of brain structure and functioning, damage of memory, seizure, bleeding ulcers, liver damage, job loss, incarceration, divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, homelessness, coma, constant overdose, or in extreme occasions deaths. Effects of withdrawal can also be very unpleasant. They vary depending on the period of exposure; quantity of the drug used each time, and the frequency of use. Actually it is advisable withdrawal is at all times done under close supervision of a medical doctor. Common effects include: bone and muscle pains, nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramping, Goosebumps, vomiting, chills, incessant anxiety, compulsive craving for pills, seizure, dilated pupils, fevers, irritation, agitation, and in extreme cases like in the case of effects of addiction coma and suicidal thoughts.

Over the years experts on pain and addiction have long grappled with how best to treat the patients who suffer from chronic pain who are estimated worrying figures of about 116 million Americans. Their concerns originate from conceivable high risks involved with long-term exposure by patients on treatment. Such risks include as highlighted earlier increased drug tolerance and the ardent need for augmented doses, a condition referred to as hyperalgesia meaning increased sensitivity to pain and addiction. On the other hand the health care providers are concerned some patients may reject the opiate narcotics prescriptions for fear of addiction.

There are however no specific statistics to substantiate or rule out such fears, an aspect said to be making the situation even worse. Approximations of addiction among chronic pain addicts vary by huge margins; from about 3% to an estimated 40%. The unevenness is a result of differences in the duration of treatment, insufficient research on long-term outcomes, incongruent of studies results on populations and the aspects measured to assess pain and addiction related drug abuses.

Managing Pain and Addiction

To moderate these addiction risks, it is thought wise the physicians screen patients for latent risk factors, including but not limited to; personal and family histories, mental stability and drug exposure determined over time. Monitoring patients for such signs of abuse is also crucial for the reasons some indicators can also signify multiple conditions hence making accurate assessments challenging. Premature and or frequent pain and addiction opioid pain killer requests for instance could denote progression of the pain related illnesses, drug tolerance, or emergence of advanced other drug problems.

Pain And Addiction

Finally development of operative non-addicting pain treatments is a national health priority. An emergent elderly population and the growing number of wounded military officials serve a clear indication of the urgency of the pain and addiction subject matter. Researchers have in the past few years amplified their quest for alternative medications that can go a long way in alleviating pain but do not necessarily cause addiction. More medical research is however obligatory in order shed more light on effective chronic pain and addiction management, including identifying predisposing factors to addiction that some patients have and further develop preventive actions against drug abuse.

As to whether pain is a cause or effect of addiction, it can be deduced from the above discussion pain is both a cause and an effect of the same. Also, that pain and addiction are coexistent medical phenomena doctors would achieve a lot more positive results when they are simultaneously treated as opposed to inappropriately treating one at the expense of another.

Coexistence Of Pain And Addiction; Pain Cause Or An Effect

Young U.S. Women Are The New Face Of Heroin Use

July 23, 2015

Young U.S. Women: New Face Of Heroin Use

Heroin use in the United States (U.S) like in other parts of the world has been predominantly men. The few women found in this category have been those in the inner city, rich and spoilt. However this is fast changing. Within this past decade heroin use has hit a staggering 62%. In 2005 heroin use was reportedly slightly over 1.6% in every 1000 Americans, aged 12 and over. In 2015 however the percentage went up somewhere above 2.6% per a similar number in U.S.

The rate of heroin use doubled that of men in a similar period. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage gradually increased from a mere 0.8% back in the year 2002 to 1.6% women alone. According to the report, the face of heroin use has changed from a stern faced man in the city unexpectedly to a young beautiful woman in the suburb. The report also indicated heroin-related deaths have hit of 300 percent.

heroin-addiction

Increasing Heroin Use in Women a Result of Pain Killer Prescriptions

The report pointed out different groups in the U.S. that have never been known to use heroin have been lured into the same in more recent times. It indicates a leading group of increasingly heroin users are women, those with higher incomes and private insurance. In as much as the net of heroin use reportedly caught indiscriminately across gender and societal status, many experts agree women have become more vulnerable to the increasingly available substance. Dr Dalal Akoury of Integrative Addiction Institute notes there is more than a double increase in number of heroin-related cases of addictions among women than men lately as opposed to some years back.

The increase of heroin use among women has however been attributed to increased pain killer prescriptions for a number of related complicated medical conditions over time. Various experts argue this happened gradually over time. “I suspect it’s been a more of a gradual thing, because more women have been exposed to pain medication for various problems. They have developed first an opiate addiction then have moved on to heroin,” said Onsrud, a consultant on Addiction Services at the Mayo Clinic.

Form Heroin Task Force to Fight Increasing Use

Various authorities argue the war on heroin use has been in existence for some time, with a few successes however it has continued to increase. In La Crosse County, the officials noticed heroin use was getting out of hand and decided to face it head-on. They formed the little known La Crosse County Heroin Task Force.

“We noticed heroin use had increased as early as the year 2010-2011,” said Al Bliss, then the task force coordinator. However he noted even at that, a lot more still has to be done. “I think we’ve made some end roads at decreasing availability of heroin but it still remains a problem,” added Bliss.

The task force coordinator also said in order to curb the menacing heroin problem, communities needed to form programs more or less similar to the Heroin Task Force so as to get like-minded people working together at attaining a single determined goal. “We need to further educate the community in offering help, treatment, and preventive care; and to conduct a lot of awareness in order to address the comprehensive problem of drug abuse,” he said.

Heroin Use

Substance Addiction Increasing Heroin Use

In a separate interview, Dr. Akoury echoed Mr. Bliss’s earlier observations; she said people suffering from substance abuse are more likely to form a habit of popping in pills. She added they are more susceptible to heroin use. A number of studies and medical reports also support this claim. One commonly cited study indicates alcohol and cigarette smokers have a higher chance of about 5 times their fellows who do not. The CDC report actually indicated 96% of heroin users used at least one more addictive drug. Also, that 61% of the heroin users used at least three more addictive substances.

In conclusion Dr. Frieden, director of CDC empathized with the current state of heroin use. He said: “It is heartbreaking to see injection drug use making a comeback in the U.S.” He said solving the heroin issue boils down to preventing addiction in the first place by hunting down the primary cause, which according to him were opioid prescriptions. “It also means; increasing access to rehabilitation including medications such as methadone or suboxone, cracking down on heroin sales, and increasing use of naloxone to reverse overdose. These are the traditional basics to deal with addiction, hence also key in combatting heroin use,” quickly added the CDC director

For the latest about heroin use in the U.S and the rest of the world please sign up for this year’s August Integrative Addiction Medicine Conference. http://www.integrativeaddiction2015.com is the link to catch with speakers lined up for the event among other possible attendants participants

White Young U.S. Women, New Face Of Heroin Use

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