Polysubstance Use in the U.S. Opioid Crisis
Problem Background
Polydrug addiction, including the participation of opioids, can be a way to compensate not only for physical pain but also for negative internal conditions associated with mental disorders. In this regard, it is important to study the imposition of opioids on other substances, which the article’s authors conducted.
Study Goals and Findings
This study focuses on the problem of concomitant use of an opioid with other drugs, which may include alcohol, nicotine, and other opioids (Compton et al., 2020). Priority areas where the issue of polydrug use is particularly acute may consist of those combinations that have been shown to have negative consequences and impact on the population. The growing opioid crisis around the world raises the risk of lethal combinations of prescribed drugs with available abusive substances.
This study examines the risks of a global opioid crisis, given the co-use of many other substances, which is relevant to my research. It is necessary to create preventive and curative interventions to eliminate overdose, public health surveillance, and fundamental neuroscience (Compton et al., 2020).
Study Limitations
Although the authors identify the main types of opioid polydrug addiction, they do not provide specific practical recommendations. The researchers provide an overview of clinical trials, noting that more testing is needed to investigate the combination of opioids with other addictions. They only emphasize the need to create a complete certificate for interventions to eliminate, for example, overdoses.
Study Usefulness for Research
Although polydrug patterns have been around for many years, as more drugs are available to users, there may now be more opportunities for polydrug addiction. That allows me to consider how increased use of opioids in medical practice can lead to high morbidity and increased mortality in my study. In addition, it is critical because it helps to explore how the overall high availability of abusive substances may hinder adequate opioid treatment.
The Threat of an International Opioid Crisis
Problem Background
Opiate production in the world is concentrated in three main regions: Latin America (Mexico, Colombia), Central Asia (Afghanistan), and Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic) (Nolan et al., 2018). The prescription of opioids in developed countries such as the US or Canada is increasingly regulated. In this regard, pharmaceutical companies are rapidly shifting their attention to entering alternative global markets, including Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and other regions (Nolan et al., 2018).
Study Goals and Findings
The authors emphasize that the crisis that has arisen in the United States goes beyond the developed countries and is strengthening worldwide. The use of opioids and their effectiveness among palliative care patients has led many clinicians to expand this practice. Thus, the list of diseases for which opioid treatment is prescribed includes persons without chronic oncological disorders.
Parallel to the rise in the use of prescription opioids, the past decade has also seen the diversification of global opioid markets. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl mimic the effects of naturally occurring opiates but are illicitly produced from chemical precursors, mainly in Asia (Nolan et al., 2018). As a result of their study, the authors conclude that sustained high rates of global opioid prescribing, the rise in over-the-counter opioid use, and the diversification of the worldwide opioid market suggest that change can happen rapidly.
Study Limitations and Usefulness for Research
This article is of particular relevance to research aimed at studying the opioid crisis across the world, as it allows to check the status of the prevalence of opioid use in developing countries. The main shortcoming of the work is that, although the authors claim to be investigating the threat of an international opioid crisis, the article’s primary focus is on coverage of the problem in North America. On the other hand, this does not contradict their primary hypothesis that the borders of North America contain the international crisis. However, this study provides an opportunity to explore trends in the possible spread of opioid abuse.
References
Compton, W. M., Valentino, R. J., & DuPont, R. L. (2020). Polysubstance use in the U.S. opioid crisis. Molecular Psychiatry, 26(1), 41–50. Web.
Nolan, S., Socias, M. E., & Wood, E. (2018). The threat of an international opioid crisis. Current Addiction Reports, 5(4), 473–477. Web.