Opioids and the connection to heroin

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Eighty-three percent of all charges in Shelby County were directly or indirectly related to drugs in 2016 (Shelby County Opiate Task Force, 2016). This statistic alone should cause alarm to the community. The Shelby County Opiate Task Force has recently formed an Education and Prevention Committee to assist local leadership in ending the opioid crisis. This committee began meeting monthly in March of this year with the goal of increasing awareness and developing supports to prevent heroin use. The committee is backing a series of articles concerning opioids and related topics. The first topic is to define exactly what are opioids and how this is related to heroin.

Opioids are pain relieving medicine typically prescribed by doctors to treat chronic pain or to help a patient recover from a surgery. An opioid is a substance that works in the brain causing the patient to not perceive pain (National League of Cities, 2017). Prescribed opioids include but are not limited to Oxycontin, Percocet, and Morphine. Heroin, an illegal drug, is also an opioid.

Opioid prescriptions have risen dramatically in the US. In fact, 76 million prescriptions were written in 1991 compared to 219 million prescriptions were written in 2011 (National League of Cities). Opioids are sometimes used in ways not prescribed to create a more intense effect of the drug. For example, opioid drugs that are intended to be slow-release may be crushed “to snort or inject which not only increases the euphoria but also increases the risk for serious medical complications, such as respiratory arrest, coma, and addiction” (National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2014). Nationally, “nearly 30,000 individuals died of opioid overdose” in 2014 (National Institute of Drug Abuse). It is important that patients using prescribed opioids are closely monitored by their physicians and that these patients follow physician’s orders.

There is a connection to opioid prescription use and heroin addiction. If a doctor stops prescribing opioids or the patient cannot afford the drug, sometimes the person may turn to heroin, a much cheaper form of an opioid. “Nearly half of young people who inject heroin surveyed in three recent studies reported abusing prescription opioids before starting to use heroin” (National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2014).

If you, a friend, or a family member is being treated for pain, ask if the prescription recommended is an opioid. If you are prescribed an opioid, pay close attention to the physician’s orders. Be sure to keep the opioids in a locked area. Opioids have been stolen from homes and sold or used by addicts. Discontinue and discard opioids when prescribed by the physician. Call your pharmacy to ask for local sights to safely discard unused opioids.

If you are in need of help or know someone in need of help for an opioid or heroin addiction, below are some current resources in Shelby County that might be of assistance:

• Aspen Family Center (Mental Health Outpatient) — 937-493-4673;

• Catholic Social Services (Mental Health/Addictions Outpatient) — 937-498-4593;

• Counseling for Wellness (Mental Health Outpatient) — 937-492-9355;

• FOA- Families of Addicts (Support- Locations Vary) — 937-307-5479;

• Dr. Fred Sacks PhD & Associates, Dr. Sara Pleiman (Mental Health Outpatient) — 937-492-9900;

• Salvation Army (Other Recovery Services) — 937-492-8412;

• Samaritan Works (Other Recovery Services) — 937-492-9136, ext. 108;

• Shelby County Counseling Center (Mental Health/Addictions Outpatient, Other Recovery Services- Sliding fee scale basis dependent on household income) — 937-492-8080;

• Shelby County Recovery Home (Other Recovery Services- Sliding fee scale basis dependent on household income) — 937-497-7355;

• Wilson Memorial Hospital Behavioral Health Center (Other Recovery Services) — 937-498-5578

• Human Services in Shelby County — Dial: 211;

Or, if your cell phone is issued outside of Shelby County, call 855-663-8333.

References:

Shelby County Opiate Task Force, (2016). Shelby County Heroin Task Force 2016 annual report;

National League of Cities (2017). A prescription for action: Local leadership ending the opioid crisis. Retrieved from http://opioidaction.org/report/.

National Institute of Drug Abuse, (2014). America’s addiction to opioids: Heroin and prescription drug abuse. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse.

National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2014. How is heroin linked to prescription drug abuse? Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/how-heroin-linked-to-prescription-drug-abuse.

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By Julie Willoughby

Contributing columnist

Julie Willoughby, Ph.D., is a parent advocate for Shelby County Opiate Task Force Education and Prevention Committee. She also is the principal of Urbana North Elementary School.

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