What You Need to Know By Joanne P. Shelby-Klein BSN RN Opiod Epidemic What You Need to Know By Joanne P. Shelby-Klein BSN RN

What are Opiods? Pain medications prescribed by a doctor or dentist Made from Opium that comes from the poppy plant Can also be illegal street drugs such as heroin or fentynal They work to cut down on the intensity of pain signals traveling through the body Chemically similar to the bodys natural pain reducers

Teens and Opiods Teens start on opiods usually after a dental procedure or a sports injury. Teens may like the changes that happen in their brain, especially the good feeling from a dopamine overload Then may develop an intense feeling of needing the drug known as a craving. The cravings then lead to teens feeling they need the drug leading to dependence and addiction.

HEROIN Is an illegal drug that is purchased on the streets and not from a pharmacy Is a white or brown powder from the Asian opium poppy plant Is also known as ‘smack’, ‘dope’, ‘horse’ or ‘junk’ Once in the body, the drug causes a feeling of euphoria or being high, a feeling of floating in and out of consciousness and cloudy or foggy thinking

LONG TERM EFFECTS OF OPIOD ABUSE Collapsed veins Infection in the lining of the heart as well as heart valves Liver failure Kidney disease that may lead to dialysis Permanent brain damage Sharing needles can lead to hepatitis and HIV/AIDS Overdose can lead to stopping breathing and the heart stop beating

IS OPIOD ADDICTION AN EPIDEMIC? An epidemic is defined as a wide spread occurrance of a disease that happens very suddenly and unexpectedly over a wide area. The use of opiods has shown a 10 fold increase since 1960 with teens using 40% higher use than any other age group In 2016 drug overdoses were the leading cause of death in the US, with 52, 404 deaths reported 276,000 teens were using prescription pain killers for non-medical issues with 122, 000 considered addicted 2015 showed an estimated 21,000 teens using heroin.

LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS Suspended from sports teams and after school activities Fired from your job Not able to be hired for the job you really want May not be able to join the military May not be able to get or keep college loans May get a criminal record especially if caught stealing Spend time in jail, state or federal prison up to 7 years or more

New Book on Teen Addiction Teen Addiction: A Chronic Disease Not A Moral Flaw By Dr Meenashi Noll and The Scrutinizer.org Coming early in 2018