America’s Opioid Crisis: Five Things You Need To Know

It’s a crisis that kills more people every year than motor vehicles or guns. And, just last month, President Trump declared the U.S. opioid dilemma a national emergency. But, what exactly is this crisis and who is affected by it? Here are five things you need to know about the nation’s opioid epidemic.

More Than 50,000 People Died From Drug Overdoses In 2015

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were over 47,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2014. But 2015, the last year for which final CDC data is available, saw what could be described as a massive increase in such deaths. For that year, “drug overdoses accounted for 52,404 U.S. deaths, including 33,091 (63.1 percent) that involved an opioid.” This was an increase of 11.4 percent in just one year.

Compare this to the number of motor vehicle fatalities (35,092) and gun deaths (36,252) for that same 2015 period and the size of the problem becomes more evident. And, provisional data for 2016 is even worse. According to a New York Times article, “drug overdoses killed roughly 64,000 people in the United States last year, according to the first governmental account of nationwide drug deaths to cover all of 2016.” If these provisional numbers become permanent, that means another 22 percent increase in drug overdose deaths over 2015.

People Go To The Streets For Opioids When Legal Means Run Dry

There has been a sharp increase in heroin use over the last several years. Heroin, an opioid, is illegal and quite addictive. According to an article by CBS News in 2016, “there were about one million heroin users in the U.S. as of 2014, almost three times the number in 2003.”

Why this big increase? From the same article, “the biggest theory [about the increase in heroin use] is the crackdown on prescription [opioid] drugs, like Vicodin and OxyContin.” And, heroin is extremely dangerous. “It leads to pretty quick highs. It can easily suppress breathing. Eventually, you can die from it.”

Fentanyl Is Many Times Stronger Than Street Heroin

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that was invented in 1959. As reported in an article on FirstThings.com, “fentanyl in its usual form is about fifty times as strong as street heroin.” This one trait alone creates an extreme danger to illicit users. But, there are several different types of fentanyl coming in at various strengths. This creates another risk. In fact, one variation, carfentanil, is “10,000 times as strong as morphine.” This means that depending on what strain of fentanyl that a street-user runs into, the strength could vary drastically and with fatal results.

Long-Term Effects Of Opioid Use Impact Physical Structure Of Brain

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “repeated heroin use changes the physical structure and physiology of the brain.” Tolerance to opioids and physical dependence can also occur. This means that while it may take more of a drug to get the desired feeling, withdrawal symptoms can occur if the drug is not available. And the withdrawal symptoms can be debilitating, including “restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting,” and other effects.

Naloxone Can Reverse Opioid Overdose

According to DrugAbuse.gov, “naloxone is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose.” This can be vital when a person has overdosed, either on heroin or legal opioids, and has stopped breathing. The rapid action of naloxone can be life-saving in these circumstances.

Naloxone is administered in one of three ways: injection, auto-injection device, and pre-packaged nasal spray. The last two require no professional training. The injectable liquid is “commonly used by paramedics, emergency room doctors, and other specially trained first responders.”

To overcome the current opioid crisis, new and innovative actions may be necessary. Otherwise, it is probable that the yearly death tolls will keep rising. Declaring the situation a national emergency is a start. And a long-term solution will more than likely include government, nonprofit, and business cooperation and collaboration. As the numbers show, for some, it could be a matter of life or death.

[Featured Image by Lynne Sladky/AP Images]