Opioid’s
are a serious problem that according to Edward Bilsky, an opioid pharmacologist
and provost at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, can potentially
be eliminated. Opioid addiction is a problem that needs to be faced as soon as
possible. Utah has many different ads that are sure to be seen driving on the freeway,
but we are not the only state that has an issue. Many people have died and many
more will continue to die “In 2015, 2 million Americans suffered from
prescription opioid addiction, and more than 33,000 died of an opioid overdose”
(pg. 44) There is a solution to the problem at hand.
In
Jonathon Keats’ article, building a better Painkiller, Christopher Stein stumbled
upon something that would change the way that opioids are researched. He
noticed that among rats an inflamed leg would be numb to the effects of touch,
but another leg would still be perceptive to touch. It took a while, but the
scientists finally determined that the because the inflamed portions were in a
state of higher pH concentration that that would activate the opioid allowing it
to then bind to cells and dampen the cells ability to feel pain. The problem is
that the drug would then continue onto other portions of the body like brain. Stein
has determined that it is possible to create a drug that works completely outside
the brain and nervous system. Doing so would stop the brain from releasing dopamine.
Dopamine
is used as a natural reward system that activates whenever something good happens
thus encouraging the animal to do it again. It is a survival instinct that is overridden
by opioids and other drugs. Stein has created a different drug NFEPP that “targets
peripheral receptors in highly acidic inflamed tissue, allowing them to receive
painkilling opioid molecules.” (pg. 46) This would prevent the drug from
reaching the brain and hijacking the dopamine producers. There is more than one
type of receptor that can dampen the feeling of pain.
The Mu receptor
is the only receptor that opioids currently target but two more have been
discovered and research is being done on the effects of targeting those. The two
other receptors are called the Delta and Kappa receptors, both with great
potential to be another viable option to the opioid epidemic. I find the idea
of eliminating the potential for addiction when taking opioids appealing because
someone close to me is struggling with issues and I would love to prevent others
from having to deal with what they have had to go through.
"Building a Better Painkiller. (Cover
Story)." Discover, vol. 39, no. 4, May 2018, pp. 42-49. EBSCOhost,
www.lib.byu.edu/cgibin/remoteauth.pl?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=128407760&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Great read, thanks for sharing! I think we all know someone or have known someone fighting this battle of drug addiction and acknowledge how devastating it is. My question is, I know that Utah struggles with opioid abuse, do you think that we really have a higher percentage than other states or are just more accurately reporting it? I realize your stating that its a problem throughout the country, but I've heard a lot of people say Utah is one of the worst states in opioid abuse. But i know that California just legalized "drug safe" zones, where people can come and use any drugs they want and be provided with clean needles without the penalty of the law. I just how accurate their opiod abuse reporting is or if they even consider it a problem? Thanks for the insight!
ReplyDeleteBen Bryson
Well from what I have read, Utah is ranked number 7 in the nation for drug poisoning deaths, 55% of those deaths are from prescription medication. Further study has lead me to find that smaller Utah towns have a higher rate of opioid abuse than the larger cities, I'm guessing that is because they don't have as much access to harder drugs like meth or anything like that so they get what they can. I'm not sure if it's a similar case in other states, where most of their opioid abuse is coming from small towns. So far I have not been able to find a comparison, but it does sound like Utah has it bad.
Delete-DA
I find this article to be quite interesting. I lost my father to an opioid overdose. He battled prescription drug addiction for 30 years. If I am reading this article correctly, this is still stating that opioid will still be used for pain relief. My question is, how would this change the opioid addiction that is killing so many of our loved ones?
ReplyDeleteMandy D.
In the article above it talks about them developing and opioid that does not interfere with the brain or nervous system. This is different than how current opioids work. According to the NAABT opioid addiction occurs because opioids cause a release of dopamine in our brain's reward center. As dopamine is released our bodies "note that something important is happening that needs to be remembered" Our bodies want that rewarding to happen again so they look back through their notes and remember that taking opioids caused the reward to occur. Our bodies then crave the opioid in order to receive that reward again. This is the basics of opioid addiction. If an opioid, that does not interact with our body's brain, is developed; then there will be no opioid addiction. The NAABT's website https://www.naabt.org/faq_answers.cfm?ID=6 explains opioid addiction much better than I can, so if this doesn't answer your question take a gander at their website. cp
DeleteI read the blog post about killing the pain, not the patient's. This topic of interest to me personally. In my work within the hospital, I have observed physicians use a variety of substances to treat an individual's pain. One of the primary methods for reducing pain is using narcotics. Unfortunately, when medical providers refuse to provide relief using narcotics or they are not available at community clinics, patients either assess low satisfactions scores or take their business elsewhere, prompting providers to change their practice, or become more flexible in providing the desired medications. Given the significant potential for misuse and death associated with narcotics, we need to consider whether we really want more options for reducing pain. There has been a recent increase in regulation and attempts to increase public awareness as to the dangers of narcotics and hopefully more people will consider whether it's worth the price over the less dangerous alternatives.
ReplyDeleteI read the blog post about killing the pain, not the patient's. This topic of interest to me personally. In my work within the hospital, I have observed physicians use a variety of substances to treat an individual's pain. One of the primary methods for reducing pain is using narcotics. Unfortunately, when medical providers refuse to provide relief using narcotics or they are not available at community clinics, patients either assess low satisfactions scores or take their business elsewhere, prompting providers to change their practice, or become more flexible in providing the desired medications. Given the significant potential for misuse and death associated with narcotics, we need to consider whether we really want more options for reducing pain. There has been a recent increase in regulation and attempts to increase public awareness as to the dangers of narcotics and hopefully more people will consider whether it's worth the price over the less dangerous alternatives. TN
ReplyDeleteThis would be amazing if they could figure this science out. Learning of all the receptors in the brain that cause the addiction and blocking them. My question is and I am just thinking ahead of time, if they were to figure this out, would it cause other problems? More depression in patience? If the receptors of the dopamine are being blocked so they are not being over used and causing addiction will they always be blocked? Would the receptors we need to feel other things be blocked as well just so the opioid doesn't take over? MN
ReplyDeleteI think that your questions should definitely be considered before opening this drug to the public. I did a little research and found an interesting article on dopamine deficiency by Bethany Cadman (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320637.php).
DeleteOne of the main topics that caught my eye were the potential mental health linkages (not direct causes). One of the main ones being Parkinson's Disease. To theoretically answer your question, based on my research, I definitely think that this drug would cause other problems. I feel that even a prolonged suppressant of dopamine would immediately result in the symptoms Cadman lists especially depression. In closing, this future drug may solve Opioid addictions, but I strongly believe that other mental health problems would be a direct result. BDO
This is an interesting approach to helping with addiction. But I have to wonder about people that are chronically in pain. I don't think that all the people that have died from opioids had an addiction. I work at a pharmacy as a pharmacy technician. I do see many people that are struggling with addiction, but there are many people that struggle with chronic pain. It would definitely help people that are struggling with addiction that don't still have pain. The people that still have nerve damage and constant pain aren't necessarily addicted, but tend to keep taking higher doses to stay on top of the pain. Even if the addiction receptors were blocked, I believe that chronic pain patients would still be at risk of over dosing. In this case, looking for a different approach to pain treatment would be something to look at. JDS
ReplyDeleteI have also been hearing of the opioid addiction in Utah and am very aware that it is a very serious problem. I have a question that might be worth a thought. Do you think pharmacists should have the right to refuse to fill an opioid prescription if he consults with the physician and comes up with an alternative form of therapy that could possibly help an addicted patient? Keep in mind physicians are very aware that opioids are can be addictive and know plans on how to slowly taper someone off of the drug that they are addicted to with alternative methods. Most of the time doctor and patient time together is very short and could lead to the doctor writing constant opioid prescriptions for a patient if they just say they are in constant pain. Pharmacists usually have a longer meeting with the patient and can almost be a second line of defense.
ReplyDelete-Davis Zwicky
I find your thoughts to be quite interesting. My father died of a drug overdose and in the years leading up to his death he filled multiple prescriptions at the same 3-4 pharmacies. I strongly believe that if just one of them possibly had the ability to say no and refuse to fill prescriptions for him, it is possible he could be alive today. On the other hand, I suffer from chronic pain and migraines and would be devastated if the pharmacy refused to fill my prescriptions. Would this really be a productive solution? In the case of my father, he just went somewhere else and his prescriptions were filled. I strongly believe our society needs to find some solution to this problem. Too many lives are lost every day to opioid addiction and overdose.
DeleteI think you bring up some great points. I believe that pharmacists should have the right to refuse to fill an opioid prescription. A pharmacist named Joe Harmison has been burglarized many times. Its just the price he must pay for running a pharmacy as an opioid epidemic sweeps the United States. He has turned away many addicts looking for pills and he knows that by doing so puts him in danger. However, to him, its worth it if it in the name of both protecting his integrity and the public health. Pharmacists know if a person is an addict better than anyone so it only makes since that they should be able to turn them away for the well being of both themselves, and the patient.
DeleteI think that if we were actually able to develop this type of medicine it would be extremely helpful. My biggest question is why has this not already been developed then for mass production? Was it not significant enough? Was he not able to recreate the expirement? I did my own post on the opioid edidepmic and Utah does have one the worst prescription drug problems so I would love to see this drug be funded and eventually make its way into Utah.
ReplyDelete- Alexis Acosta
I feel that they haven't found the correct medication that will help these receptor sites for pain. I am pretty sure that the study might have not been a large scale to fully show evidence in creating such a great product. It probably showed ppl still being addicted and they probably want a 100% result of their victims or subjects not being addicted. He probably could recreate it but not on a scale thats big enough or maybe he couldn't do to financial issues.
Delete-Janet Taufa
This was such an interesting post to read. I too have people close to me who struggle with addiction to opioid and I would love to prevent that from happening to others as well. However, I also have family members who have terminally ill diseases and are constantly in pain. I don't believe that everyone who uses opioids have an addiction and some genuinely need them. While this brings up some great points, I think their are better, more effective ways to deal with the opioid epidemic.
ReplyDelete- Haylee Dagley
I think that this is really interesting to read just for the fact of the negative effect opioids can have on peoples lives. When it comes to some conditions with chronic pain it is sad to see how often opioids are prescribed even though they may sometimes have no impact on the pain. I have seen this with some people I know that have nerve pain and they have been prescribed different pain killers like Lortab that really have no impact on the pain but since it helps people to sleep it is continually given. I think there need to be more alternatives to solving pain outside of opioids, more natural ways simply like hot and cold. There are more ways to help pain besides chemicals that can have dangerous effects on our body. - K.G.
ReplyDeleteI liked reading this article! I work in a pain management office that prescribes mostly opioids so I know the effects it has on a person and on their lives. We have a very strict protocol with how we provide medications and how we deal with the ones that overuse. I've had a few family members fight with abuse of opioids as well so it's really interesting to learn about how they are trying to create a better way for opioids to work for a person because it's sad to watch a drug take over a life.
ReplyDelete-Kayla I.
To answer Davis's question. I don't think pharmacists should be able to change a medication. In order to prescribe a medication a pharmacist or any medical doctor must evaluate the patient. This would kind of defeat the purpose of a pharmacist because they would be especially doing what the doctor just did. I don't see anything wrong with a pharmacist consulting with the doctor if he feels like something different should be prescribed, but they should never go over a doctor's head.
ReplyDeleteTyrel Barney
An answer to Davis's question, no Pharmacists should not be able to adjust or change medication. They are not qualified to do so. They must consult with the patients doctor before doing anything. I know this because some of my family members have struggled with this addiction and it happens without them even realizing it. They were able to overcome it because they had a friend help them realize what was going on and then encouraged them to talk to their doctor about it before it gets too bad. Pharmacists, however can act as friends and address the patient about their concern for them. They are allowed to do that because generally pharmacists and patients tend to have a stronger relationship and they can then act as a friend to them. This website tells you the role in a pharmacist in addressing drug addictions to patients. https://pharmacistsupport.org/fact-sheets/help-with-drug-abuse/
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up some great points. I believe that pharmacists should have the right to refuse to fill an opioid prescription. A pharmacist named Joe Harmison has been burglarized many times. Its just the price he must pay for running a pharmacy as an opioid epidemic sweeps the United States. He has turned away many addicts looking for pills and he knows that by doing so puts him in danger. However, to him, its worth it if it in the name of both protecting his integrity and the public health. Pharmacists know if a person is an addict better than anyone so it only makes since that they should be able to turn them away for the well being of both themselves, and the patient.- Haylee Dagley
ReplyDelete*I wrote this comment on the 25, i forgot to put my initials though*
This comment is to answer the question for Mandy D. I did some research on what causes an addiction within the brain, specifically with dopamine levels. From what I read, the addiction is caused by a spike in dopamine levels, and then the brain attaches to the need for these dopamine levels. Unfortunately, most of the time the only thing that can cause these high levels of dopamine is the drug itself. So by the use of NFEPP this part of the addiction will be illuminated. NFEPP gives the same pain relief without the spike in dopamine levels. Now, because this is not the only factor when it comes to addiction to opioids, it will not completely illuminate the deaths that occur because of opioids. However, it could help lessen the amount of loved ones that are lost to these drugs. R.R.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to expand upon Mandy's question from April 12th. She asked, "how would this change the opioid addiction that is killing so may of our loved ones?". In response to this, I first want to point out that the risk of death from overdose is decreased because Opiates when taken in large quantities, shut down the respiratory system and the patient stops breathing and unless they are found within minutes of this happening, it is not likely they will survive. However, the newly developed drug would not act directly on the CNS therefore probably wouldn't affect respiratory system or the patients level of consciousness. Although I have to say that I agree with MN, in that this drug could cause other adverse reactions. I completely agree with the study and this blog overall in that Opiate addictions are a problem that need to be solved, although, I don't think that looking at opiates is the appropriate focus. It seems that if a stronger approach was taken in eliminating the addiction rather than the drug, there may be several other avenues as the other classmates have mentioned. -KS
ReplyDelete