.png)
A new study has found that exposing babies to prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, methadone and codeine, while they’re in the womb can increase their risk of developing immune-related conditions – particularly infections, eczema and asthma – in early childhood.
When used during pregnancy, opioids have the potential to interfere with fetal development, affecting a wide range of body systems, including the immune system. Research using rat models suggests that opioid exposure during critical periods of fetal immune development may cause the immune system to overreact to subsequent immune activation….Story continues…
Source: Prenatal opioid use linked to greater risk of immune-related conditions
.
Critics:
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Opioid withdrawal symptoms include nausea, muscle aches, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, agitation, and a low mood. Addiction and dependence are important components of opioid use disorder.
Risk factors include a history of opioid misuse, current opioid misuse, young age, socioeconomic status, race, untreated psychiatric disorders, and environments that promote misuse (social, family, professional, etc.). Complications may include opioid overdose, suicide, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and problems meeting social or professional responsibilities. Diagnosis may be based on criteria by the American Psychiatric Association in the DSM-5.
Opioids include substances such as heroin, morphine, fentanyl, codeine, dihydrocodeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. A useful standard for the relative strength of different opioids is morphine milligram equivalents (MME). It is recommended for clinicians to refer to daily MMEs when prescribing opioids to decrease the risk of misuse and adverse effects.
Long-term opioid use occurs in about 4% of people following their use for trauma or surgery-related pain. In the United States, most heroin users begin by using prescription opioids that may also be bought illegally. People with an opioid use disorder are often treated with opioid replacement therapy using methadone or buprenorphine.Such treatment reduces the risk of death.
Additionally, they may benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, other forms of support from mental health professionals such as individual or group therapy, twelve-step programs, and other peer support programs. The medication naltrexone may also be useful to prevent relapse. Naloxone is useful for treating an opioid overdose and giving those at risk naloxone to take home is beneficial. In 2020, the CDC estimated that nearly 3 million people in the U.S. were living with OUD and more than 65,000 people died by opioid overdose, of whom more than 15,000 were heroin overdoses.
The DSM-5 guidelines for the diagnosis of opioid use disorder require that the individual has a significant impairment or distress related to opioid uses.To make the diagnosis two or more of 11 criteria must be present in a given year .More opioids are taken than intended, The individual is unable to decrease the number of opioids used Large amounts of time are spent trying to obtain opioids, use opioids, or recover from taking them.
The individual has cravings for opioids. Difficulty fulfilling professional duties at work or school. Continued use of opioids leading to social and interpersonal consequences. Decreased social or recreational activities
Using opioids despite being in physically dangerous settings . Continued use despite opioids worsening physical or psychological health (i.e. depression, constipation)Tolerance, Withdrawal.
The severity can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on the number of criteria present.The tolerance and withdrawal criteria are not considered to be met for individuals taking opioids solely under appropriate medical supervision. Addiction and dependence are components of a substance use disorder; addiction is the more severe form.Opioid withdrawal can occur with a sudden decrease in, or cessation of, opioids after prolonged use.
Onset of withdrawal depends on the half-life of the opioid that was used last. With heroin this typically occurs five hours after use; with methadone, it may take two days. The length of time that major symptoms occur also depends on the opioid used.For heroin withdrawal, symptoms are typically greatest at two to four days and can last up to two weeks.
Less significant symptoms may remain for an even longer period, in which case the withdrawal is known as post-acute-withdrawal syndrome.Opioid use disorder can develop as a result of self-medication. Scoring systems have been derived to assess the likelihood of opiate addiction in chronic pain patients. Healthcare practitioners have long been aware that despite the effective use of opioids for managing pain, empirical evidence supporting long-term opioid use is minimal.
Many studies of patients with chronic pain have failed to show any sustained improvement in their pain or ability to function with long-term opioid use. According to position papers on the treatment of opioid dependence published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Health Organization, care providers should not treat opioid use disorder as the result of a weak moral character or will but as a medical condition.
Some evidence suggests the possibility that opioid use disorders occur due to genetic or other chemical mechanisms that may be difficult to identify or change, such as dysregulation of brain circuitry involving reward and volition. But the exact mechanisms involved are unclear, leading to debate over the influence of biology and free will.
Leave a Reply