This document discusses the opioid epidemic, including prescription painkillers and illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl. It notes that opioid addiction can affect anyone and often starts with prescription drug use. Fentanyl is especially deadly as it is much more potent than heroin. The document advocates for medication-assisted treatment using drugs like methadone or buprenorphine to help people recover from addiction through medication and counseling. While some question just replacing one drug for another, medication-assisted treatment is considered the most effective approach supported by research evidence.

2. Opioids…
Epidemic Complex Prescription
Disease Pain
High Death Stuck
Narcotics Heartbreak
Drug Problems Crisis
Devastating Misunderstood
Stolen Hurting Help

3. Opioids
1. Prescription painkillers (Vicoden, Percocet, Oxycontin)
2. Morphine
3. Fentanyl
4. Heroin

4. Opioid Addiction
• Does not discriminate
• Affects people of all ages, all walks of life
• Problem started from aggressive prescribing
for pain management in the late ‘90s when
physicians did not know it was highly
addictive
• Most people with an addiction begin with
prescription pill use & progress to heroin –
cheaper, but often laced with fentanyl

5. Fentanyl
• Deadly, synthetic opioid
• Looks identical to heroin
• 10x more powerful (deadly) than heroin
• Used to improve potency; less is needed
• Most users do not know if/when their heroin
is laced with fentanyl
• Originally used as an anesthetic

6. Deadly dose of
heroin vs fentanyl:

7. Opioid Overdose Stats
Over people die every day…
…Over people die
e v e r y year

8. Nalaxone (Narcan)
• Can “reverse” opioid overdoses; revive people
from the dead
• Injectable needle or nasal spray
• Police, firefighters, emergency personnel, etc. now
carry Narcan while on duty
• Sold at Walgreens; sometimes provided for free at
police stations
• Costs $20-30, overdose costs tax payers up to
$30,000

9. Why are prescription pills still
being prescribed?
• 76 million people in the United States alone suffer
from chronic pain
• Majority of patients responsibly use opioids with
no repercussions
• Drs prescribe it out of familiarity, unsure what to
replace it with
 CDC Guidelines: opioids are not first line of
treatment; focus on function not pain;
prescribe short supplies for acute pain
(can always reevaluate)
?
?

10. A Promising Intervention
• Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT)

11. MAT
• MAT = medication + therapy (counseling and
behavioral)
• Treats addiction as a disease
• ”The drug is not the problem, addiction is”
• Well studied, evidence-based, found to be the
most effective
• Several options for medication

12. MAT: Medication Options
• Normalizes brain chemistry, relieves
withdrawal symptoms and physiological
cravings, never produces a “high”
• Prevent opioid overdose in controlled
environment
• Patient can safely recover with support
-Methadone
-Buprenorphine (Suboxone)
-Naltrexone

15. What else is being done?
• Congress passed opioid legislation
• President’s Commission on Combating Drug
Addiction and the Opioid Crisis
• President claimed the Opioid Epidemic to be a
public health emergency

16. Quote
“You’re injecting yourself with
a loaded gun.” – Tim Pifer, Director of
NH State Police Forensic Laboratory

17. Discussion Question
Do you think medication-assisted treatment
is a smart/successful approach to recovery
or is it just masking the problem by
replacing one drug with another?
??

18. References
• National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL). (2018, April 5). Prescribing
policies: states confront opioid overdose epidemic. Retrieved from http://
www.ncsl.org/research/health/prescribing-policies-states-confront-
opioid- overdose-epidemic.aspx
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH). (2018, March). Opioid overdose
crisis. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/
opioid-overdose-crisis
• Price, Thomas E. (2017, April 19). Secretary Price announces HHS strategy
for fighting opioid crisis. National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit.
Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/secretary/
speeches/2017-speeches/secretary-price-announces-hhs-strategy-for-
fighting-opioid-crisis/index.html

19. References cont.
• SAMHSA. (2015, September 28). Medication and treatment counseling.
Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-
treatment/treatment
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2018, March 6).
About the U.S. opioid epidemic. Retrieved from
https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/