What do you wish others knew about OUD?
There are plenty of misconceptions out there about opioid use disorder. What's something you wish people understood about the condition, or your personal experience living with it?
That opioids absolutely hijack the brain making the user feel like they can’t live without it.
Thanks for your comment here. I went ahead and pulled some information from an article we have on the site here that is related to what you've shared. It says, "Opioids flood the brain with dopamine, a chemical that creates feelings of pleasure and reinforces drug use. Over time, the brain becomes less sensitive to natural rewards, making it harder to feel pleasure from everyday activities. The brain also adapts to the presence of opioids, requiring higher doses to achieve the same effect (tolerance) and causing withdrawal symptoms when the drug is absent. These changes make it hard to stop using opioids, as the brain prioritizes drug-seeking over other needs."
Here's the link to that article: https://opioid-use-disorder.com/basics
Thanks for sharing! - Jake (Team Member)
Using opioids is not a disorder. Intractable pain is the disorder. Opioids are the solution for some. Try to understand more about people who need them. How about giving reasonable advice to the people with no other options but death.
That everyone who takes prescribed opiates does NOT go on to become addicted to Heroin, or need Narcan and Suboxone.
Absolutely. There can be so much harmful stigma around this topic and it's important to not jump to these types of conclusions. Everyone has their own unique experience, and keeping the nuance in mind can help us really understand each person's experience instead of just making assumptions based on bias, stigma, or judgment. Appreciate you sharing here! - Jake (Team Member)
This is such a sad topic , my husband struggles with this and to be honest the VA just does nothing to help. He is high as a kite on his Buprenorphine ! And it’s obvious . So is it helping or just preventing OD? I have lived this for 4+ years.
Hey
thanks for sharing a bit of your story with your husband here. Please know you're not alone. But I can imagine walking this journey with your husband has not been an easy one, especially living the way you have for the past 4 years or so...It can be exhausting and heartbreaking. And that definitely sounds frustrating how his treatment is going with the VA. Have you been able to voice this with them? I'd be curious to hear what they say, especially if he seems that impaired on the Buprenorphine. I'm including an article on our site here that talks about Buprenorphine, but also some other options if you're interested in taking a look. I imagine you're probably familiar with these but thought I'd share just in case it's helpful. Here's the link to that article: https://opioid-use-disorder.com/treatment.
- Jake (Team Member)
