Let Us Talk About Opioids
Opioids are substances which can be used medically in the relief of pain, suppression of diarrhea, etc. They stimulate the opioid receptors to produce a morphine-like effect. Examples of prescription opioids include oxycodone, codeine, hydrocodone and morphine. Outside the medical field, opioids are abused for the euphoria they are capable of bringing about.
According to a statistic carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), 115 people die in America daily as the result of overdosing on an opioid drug. That's 41,975 people dying from abuse of opioid drugs yearly. Around the world, a greater number of people die yearly as many more people are addicted to opioid drugs around the world.
Use Of Opioids In Nigeria
In Nigeria today, various drugs such as codeine, Tramadol, are opioids which are some of the most widely used in relieving ailments and can even be easily obtained in local stores without a medical prescription. There is a growing amount of Nigerian youths who overdose on Tramadol and codeine. This is as a result of the fact that they produce an euphoric effect. I have encountered several cases of people taking Tramadol just to improve their performance sexually or during athletic activities. If I would be sincere with myself, I know several people who abuse this drug. A friend of mine died as a result of taking an overdose of Tramadol but I don't think this is enough to deter others from stopping. I guess this can be attributed to the fact that they are already addicted to the drug.
Addiction can be likened to a bad habit. It is difficult to give up. Like several other forms of addiction, addiction to opioid drugs can be difficult to correct. This is because addiction to most opioid drugs start from the taking of drugs which are legally prescribed by medical doctors.
A Vaccine To Combat Drug Addiction? How does it work?
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute actively on a potential vaccine to combat heroin addiction and prevent overdosing of the drug.
Normally, the entry of heroin into the body does not trigger the synthesis of antibodies to combat it. As a result of this, the heroin molecules are able to cross the blood-brain barrier, thereby causing an euphoric effect.
In making the vaccine, the researchers combine ingredients called adjuvants such as alum and CpG ODN (these boost immune response, thereby improving the vaccine's likelihood of working) with heroin molecules which is attached to a carrier protein such as tetanus toxoid (TT) which triggers the synthesis of antibodies. This vaccine manipulates the immune system, granting the antibodies the ability to identify heroin molecules and attack them, thereby preventing them from being able to enter the brain to cause euphoria.
There is the believe that if they no longer feel the euphoric effects associated with the use of the drugs, people who are recovering from addiction to it would not be motivated to return to the usage of the drug as it would almost be for nothing.
From their researches, the scientists have been able to show that under conditions, the vaccine is stable, reliant on an already approved adjuvant and is safe and effective in animal models.
If the vaccine can work for heroin addicts, it should also be able to work for cocaine, codeine and pain-killers addicts. If you ask we, I think that we would be having an healthier future.
For Further Reading
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