Opiate addiction is the use of substances that have a negative effect on the body's mechanisms, so that a person cannot stop using them even when they are being harmed. When the addict stops using the substance, withdrawal symptoms occur. As time passes, they increase the duration and dose of substance use. Serious problems arise as a result of this use. Over 20 chemically diverse opioids are available for clinical use in the world.
What is Opiate?
It is a group of drugs obtained from hashish. Over time, this becomes a drug that causes addiction in the person. Opiate addiction is an addiction that can be treated . More than 20 chemically different opiates are in clinical use around the world. In developed countries, Opiates are the most common substance accompanying abuse and addiction.
Addiction to Opiates other than heroin is most commonly seen in people who become addicted during medical treatment, in healthcare professionals who have easy access to such drugs, and in people who obtain their drugs from medical providers and treatment programs.
Today, it is seen as a bio-psychosocial disorder in which multiple factors interact in terms of initiation of use, maintenance of use and relapse after abstinence.
According to DSM-IV-TR, 10% of the US population has tried cocaine at least once, with 2% having abused cocaine in the last year, 0.8% in the last month and 2% in their entire lifetime, or has opiate dependence.
The highest rates of use were found in the 18-25 (1.3%) and 26-34 (1.2%) age groups.
There has been a decline in cocaine use in recent years as a result of public awareness of the risks associated with its use and intensive counter-campaigns on the effects of cocaine. In the USA opiate addiction experienced a revival in the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1995 there was a two-fold increase in emergency room admissions for heroin abuse.
The late 1990s saw an increase in opiate dependence among 18-25 year olds and a brief increase in the use of pharmaceutical sources of oxycodone (OxyContin). Non-injection methods of use, such as smoking and snorting, increased in popularity.
In 2000, the results of a national evaluation (Treatment Episode Data Group) showed that there were 243,723 users admitted to treatment for heroin use and 25,723 users admitted to treatment for other opiate dependence.
Opiate addiction is currently seen as a bio-psychosocial disorder in which multiple factors interact in terms of initiation of use, maintenance of use and relapse after abstinence.
These factors include pharmacological, social, environmental, personality, psychopathology, genetic and familial factors.
What are the Symptoms of Opiate Addiction?
There are some withdrawal symptoms related to opiate use. We can list these syndromes as follows;
- Excessive craving for an opiate drug
- Runny nose or sneezing
- Eye watering
- Muscle pain or cramps
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Dilated pupils
How is opiate addiction treated?
After the client is evaluated in the psychiatric outpatient clinic, neuropsychiatric and psychological tests are performed to clarify this diagnosis.
After this diagnosis is clarified, the person is evaluated psychosocially and a family interview is conducted. If an outpatient treatment plan is decided after the evaluations, the person is admitted to the program.
The clinician's approach to patients with opiate addiction who may be hesitant and reluctant to reveal their substance use and related problems is very important.
It may be difficult for patients receiving treatment to disclose their possible addiction due to fear of losing treatment. An effective opiate addiction treatment can be listed as follows;
- Establishing the diagnosis of opiate addiction
- Determine eligibility for treatment
- Making initial treatment recommendations and plan
- Planning for psychosocial treatment
- Ensure that there are no contraindications to the recommended treatments
- To reveal other medical comorbidities and conditions
- Consulting other departments to help
- It's quite a story
- Physical examination
- Mental status examination
- Related laboratory tests
- Formal psychiatric evaluation
In addition to the above-mentioned features, we can list the following methods of treatment for opiate addiction;
Treatment of intoxication due to overdose: Opiate intoxication is one of the most important psychiatric emergencies. The most prominent symptom of patients with opiate addiction is narrowing of the pupils. Opiate overdose depresses the respiratory center in the central nervous system and may cause death.
The success of the treatment of this addiction depends on how quickly antagonist drugs such as naloxone are started. In addition, the patient with opiate addiction needs to have an open airway and vascular access, intravenous fluids and advanced cardiac care. Treatment should take place in a full-fledged hospital with an intensive care unit.
The patient's vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse, temperature and respiration should be closely monitored until the opiates are completely removed from the body.
Drug treatment: Drug treatment has a very important role in opiate addiction. Drugs such as naltrexone, methadine and bupronephrine are used for this purpose.
Psychotherapy: As in the treatment of other addictive substances, one of the most important treatment approaches in opiate addiction is cognitive behavioral therapy and especially relapse prevention therapy. Group, couple and family therapies are also part of the treatment program. Patients with impaired cognitive functions should also benefit from cognitive rehabilitation therapies.
