Pharmacology and Biological Impact on the Body - Essay Example

The paper "Pharmacology and Biological Impact on the Body" is a perfect example of a paper on drug development. Opioids are a type of drug often called narcotics that is naturally found in opium poppy plants. Though some prescription for opioids is directly made from the plant, the majority are made in labs by scientists using similar chemical structure. Opioids include the prescription for strong pain relievers, among them tramadol, fentanyl, hydrocodone, and oxycodone (Somogyi et al. 2007). Doctors recommend the prescription of opioids whenever there is a need to reduce pain after surgery or a significant injury or sometimes for patients having severe pain because of health conditions such as cancer. Therefore, they are highly prescribed for chronic pain since they are good at treating both moderate and severe pain with some treating symptoms such as diarrhea and coughing.

Opioids have some biological impact on the body such that they contain chemicals that help the body relieve the pain and make it relaxed. When opioids are used in the body, they bind to as they activate their receptors on body cells that are located in various parts of the spinal cord, the brain, among other body organs (Somogyi et al. 2007). The most affected parts of the body are those that are responsible for pleasure and pain feelings. The attachment of opioids to these receptors blocks the signals from the brain to the body releasing dopamine in large volumes in the entire body.

Risk Population
Over time, the opioid epidemic has evolved as their prescription for medical purposes, such as reducing acute pain to more non-medical uses. The withdrawal of the popularly known non-opioid analgesics prescription because of the associated cardiovascular risks accelerated the trend of non-medical usage of opioids (Compton & Volkow, 2006). However, as this trend escalates, some populations are at more risk of the impact of opioids than others. This population includes mostly men, the middle-aged groups for both men and women, whites, the prisoners, those with lower levels of education, the separated or divorced couple, and the people with lower income who have insecure housing and unemployed.

The whites are at more risk of being affected with the use of opioids because they live in most acute areas hence the massive usage of the drugs. Similarly, the whites population is the largest population with a better socioeconomic level; thus, it would be easier for them to access opioids drugs to use for multiple purposes such as pain relief (Compton & Volkow, 2006). This also is based on the description of the disparity among the various racial groups in the United States because of the socioeconomic despair and the distressed communities with limited opportunities. The same applies to the people at the low-income levels who are at the risk of the impact of opioids, considering that they suffer the economic shock, which leads them to the increased use of opioids. This is related to those that are unemployed or working in low-income areas that subject them to occupational injuries prompting them to use opioids. Middle-aged people and the youths face a lot of challenges and frustrations, amounting to their life experiences (Compton & Volkow, 2006). As a result, these groups use more opioids, which exposes them to the associated risks. The same case applies to the men who are often in the line of struggle hence may face challenges affecting them, which leads them to use opioids to cope with the situation all the time hence more risk.

Current Intervention Program
Concern has been raised over the increasing effects, including deaths associated with the use of opioids. Intervention strategies have so far been taken, which have since seen efforts focused on reducing the use of the drug. One known strategy is the Iowa strengthening families program, which is a universally recognized program meant to intervene for adolescents to lower their usage and addiction to opioids (Compton et al. 2019). The program is implemented through partners within the community universities. Measures have been taken through educational efforts framing the crisis of increased self-prescription of opioids as a medical issue leading to the formulation of policies and generating practices to complement the treatment (American Public Health Association, 2015). Other intervention programs such as public education on the dangers of opioids, clinician-patient relationships, and medication disposal programs that are community-based are in place to manage the problem.

Prevention
Various prevention approaches can be undertaken to manage the problem associated with the use of opioids and the related impacts such as deaths and health disorders among different groups. These measures include but not limited to the implementation of education campaigns that are based on science to help the public best understand the disorders and negative impact of using opioids, among other substances (American Public Health Association, 2015). This also creates an opportunity to inform the public about alternative treatments and strategies to eliminate any disease-associated stigma rather than using drugs. The focus should be on the use of social media technologies and other digital platforms in which people are able to understand the prevention measures. There is also the need to enhance and support the prevention programs that are community and school-based, which have been used to prevent drug misuse, especially opioids, among others (Compton et al. 2019). Faith and community-based organizations can be used to pass messages on how to prevent, treat, and recover without using opioids, which only lowers pain. Unused opioids should also be properly disposed of to avoid people who are at risk of accessing them and use without medical prescription.