The Opioid Epidemic: A Pain For The Masses

On this week's episode of the pod, we are joined by Dr. Ryan Marino (medical toxicologist, ER doc, and addiction specialist) to discuss the opioid crisis. We kick things off with some statistics on opioid use and overdoses and the array of health and social problems caused by the high prevalence of opioid use disorder. We take a step back to discuss the biochemistry of opioids, starting with the history of the oldest known drug, the opium poppy. We discuss the mechanism of action and some key differences between different opiates. We chat about the different waves of opioid overdose deaths and the factors that influenced them. We don't shy away from controversy (we never do!) and discuss the erosion of trust in regulatory and industry agencies that the opioid epidemic has caused. We describe the multiple factors, missteps, and failures that have brought us to this point and some of the ways that we might be able to combat this issue. You don't want to miss this important discussion!

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