Review of the Opioid Overdose Epidemic : How We Got Here

• The current state of the epidemic
• Changing views of pain treatment led to more use of opioid analgesics
• Pressure mounted on doctors to treat any and all pain effectively
• Faulty research seemed to show low addiction potential for opioids for patients in pain
• Opioids were used more and more to treat pain
• Purdue Pharmaceutical Co. saw an opportunity: invented Oxycontin
• Purdue representatives aggressively marked Oxycontin to physicians
• Faulty data used to deny addiction potential
• Oxycontin use mushroomed in the US
• Pain treatment was misunderstood as simply requiring opioid analgesics
• Big supply of pills in American drug cabinets drive addictions
• Drug cartels saw an opportunity as addicted patients sought illicit drugs
• First heroin, then fentanyl analogs introduced to big cities
• How the opioid overdose epidemic rapidly spread

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the current status of the opioid overdose epidemic in the United States
2. Discuss factors that led to the current opioid overdose epidemic.
3. Explain how nurses can help combat the epidemic.