ANT 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Fentanyl, Methadone, Opioid Epidemic
Document Summary
Opioid: class of drugs including heroin, synthetic/chemically made. Fentanyl: 100x stronger than morphine, very potent drug. Opiate: drugs derived directly from the poppy plant. Heroin: opioid drug made from morphine taken from poppy seeds. Doctors and pharmaceutical companies blamed for epidemic through aggressive advertising and hiding addictive nature of drugs. Insurers also make it easier to get opioids than drugs that treat addiction. Naloxone/narcan began to be used to treat narcotic overdoses in emergencies. Rhetoric has shifted from jail to treatment. Instead of locking up drug users and sellers, we now have more of a compassionate outlook and look for treatment rather than punishment because it is considered a disease. Methadone treatment programs and other medication assisted treatment programs; does not get them high but decreases cravings for a high. Therapy and other forms of psychosocial treatment. Vaccines are under development to target opioids and prevent them from reaching the brain no high.
