Opiate addiction is a plague in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 14 of every 100,000 U.S. residents died of opiate-related causes in 2016. A country of 350 million people quickly inflates those numbers to an epidemic. There are many types of opiates and while most are aware of the dangers and pains a heroin or morphine addiction can bring – other opiates play their part in the epidemic too, like codeine. Codeine isn’t as powerful as Fentanyl or OxyContin, but it’s an opiate nonetheless and causes serious consequences if abused. Let’s learn about codeine addiction including an overview of the drug, signs of an addiction, questions to ask yourself, and what to do if you’re addicted. What is Codeine? Codeine is an opiate, meaning its derived from opium found in the poppy plant. While most opiates are prescribed to lessen pain, codeine is commonly found in cough medicines to help suppress a cough. Codeine is synthesized into morphine by the liver then travels through the body, providing cough suppression and minor pain relief. For several decades codeine was available in several over-the-counter cough medicines and other medications but can now only be purchased in the United States with a doctor’s prescription. The drug was discovered in 1832 by Pierre Jean Robiquet and is considered an essential medicine by the World Health Organization. What are Signs of a Codeine Addiction? If you suspect someone has a codeine action, there are tell-tale signs you can look for. Since codeine is an opiate, those taking codeine will show symptoms of an opiate high including: Itching...
Approximately two million people in the country are addicted to prescription opioids such as fentanyl, oxycodone, Vicodin, and Percocet, making it imperative for those in power to find ways to decrease the prevalence of this kind of substance use disorder. With that in mind, politicians on both sides of the aisle have put in motion several different bills regarding today’s opioid crisis. Right before July 4th, the House spent about two weeks combing through bills that address the ever-growing opioid epidemic in the United States. A complete package of bills is expected to be finished any day now, however many professionals and experts do not feel that the final product is really going to have any large-scale impact on the opioid crisis. There are a handful of main points outlined in the new House bill, and they include the following: Supporting Evidence-Based Treatment Countless substance abuse treatment facilities provide evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, 12-Step facilitation therapy, and motivational enhancement therapy. And while these treatments are viewed as necessities to most, some treatment centers do not provide them. Through the new House bill, all treatment programs that receive funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must only provide evidence-based treatment modalities. This will save some funding that can then be utilized to provide more addiction medications that can be used in medication-assisted therapy, as studies show that the combination of both medication and evidence-based treatments is the most effective form of addiction treatment. Putting an End to the IMD Exclusion The IMD (which stands for institutions for mental diseases) exclusion, is a restriction that...
You are currently browsing the Stout Street blog archives for July, 2018.
