The Community Forum on Opioid Epidemic

Opioids are a class of chemicals that suppresses the nervous transmission of pain; this class includes everything from heroin to prescription narcotics. While opioids are of great therapeutic use, they can also be highly addictive- one of the factors behind the current opioid abuse epidemic.

The epidemic is a matter of national concern; however, Suffolk County has the dubious distinction of having the highest number of opioid overdose-related deaths in the state. In order

to educate the public about the situation and possible interventions, Stony Brook University's Scientists for Policy, Advocacy, Diplomacy, and Education (SBU SPADE) recently held a public forum about the epidemic on October 1st . The presentations and reception occurred in the Wang Center at Stony Brook University.

The speakers included state senators Ken Lavalle and John Flanagan, as well as Officer William Weick of the Suffolk County Police Department. This portion of the forum focused more on the

impact of the epidemic on children and teenagers. One of the major topics of conversation with the senators was the implementation of drug-awareness programs in schools, and by extension, the need for funding to support the programs. Officer Weick spoke about how drug use begins casually in many adolescents, who perceive prescription opioids as less dangerous than recreational drugs. Through programs like Keeping it REAL, researchers and law enforcement are trying to help young people find ways to make better decisions about their health. These programs focus more on decision making than abstinence, training young people how to recognize and refuse drugs as well as enable them recognize situations where they are at risk.

Dr. Jermaine Jones, an assistant professor and researcher at Columbia University, spoke about the work currently being done to counter withdrawal symptoms and help addicts recover.

Specifically, Dr. Jones discussed Naloxone, an opioid antagonist. This means that Naloxone acts by removing opioid particles from neural receptors, thus reversing their effect. Dr. Jones

described its application as first aid for victims of opioid overdose. He stressed that one of the key factors in addiction is physical dependency, as patients put on the prescription drugs frequently develop a biological need for the drug in order to function at baseline levels.

Dr. Jones and Dr. Constantine Ioannou, a director at Stony Brook Hospital, also explained the common conditions leading to overdose. Most patients begin to take ever-increasing quantities of

opioids as their dependency increases. When they are placed in rehabilitation centers, their bodies are given the time and environment to recover to pre-tolerance levels. Unfortunately, once

they are released, many of the patients return to the same large dose they were consuming before treatment. Since their bodies have reduced tolerance as a result of staying off the medication, a

previously necessary dose can incite an overdose and become fatal.

One of the methods being used to combat this issue is improving inpatient education in rehabilitation centers. By increasing patient awareness, health practitioners hope to reduce accidental overdoses. Another method is Narcan TM training. Sponsored by the New York State Department of Health, the training equips civilian bystanders with Narcan TM (naloxone) delivery kits and the skills to administer them. These include learning to recognize opioid overdose symptoms and to deliver the prescription nalaxone to overdose victims. At the end of the training, participants are given Naloxone kits in order to enable them to help overdose victims.

References:

Nordrum, A. (2014, September 10). The New D.A.R.E. Program—This One Works. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-new- d-a- r-e- program-

this-one- works/