The use of opioids dates back to ancient times, when the first civilizations were able to get the poppy seed from the opium plant. The usefulness of this plant as an analgesic and treatment of diseases changed outcomes as it spread within many different cultures. In fact, opium was used in applications of it as a sedative and even before surgeries in the 200s.
Opioids slightly disappeared from Europe during the East and West struggle in the 1300-1400s, as it was considered a source of evil from the other side of the world.
This, however, started changing in the 1800s as more people (such as chemists and scientists) began to see the great medicinal impacts of treating pain and other ailments that would otherwise have no treatment. In the early 1800s, Friedrich Wilhelm Sertürner was the first to extract morphine from the opium plant, and realized the effects of this drug. The use expanded as pain relievers and and opium alternative. It was even used by soldiers during the Civil War to treat pain, but this eventually turned problematic as these soldiers became addicted to morphine.
Hypodermic needles were also invented in this time, which allowed for morphine to be injected directly into the bloodstream increasing its use and availability in people. Another creation was heroin in 1898, as a “non-addictive” alternative to morphine for medicinal use. This turned out to be just the opposite.
Congress passed the Opium Exclusion Act barring importation of opium for the purposes of smoking in 1901. In 1916, German scientists at the University of Frankfurt synthesized oxycodone with hopes to retain the analgesic effects of morphine and heroin but less dependence. Heroin sales stopped with the passage of The Heroin Act in 1924, making the importation, manufacture and possession of heroin illegal in the U.S. Spurred by growing rates of addiction, the Heroin Act made even its medicinal use illegal. In 1938, the passage of The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act gave authority to the FDA to oversee the safety of drug. Many medicines that were derived from opioids and already being sold were still allowed to be used by physicians.
The prescription opioid landscape changed in the 1990s with physicians expanding treatment of pain and new options coming on to the market. In response to the growing recognition of the need to manage pain, a number of prescription opioids that were formulated to release their medicine over a period of time entered the market, continuing into the 2000s. Marketing efforts to healthcare providers by pharmaceutical companies increased as patient advocates and pain societies asked for more information on pain medications, and the market grew for those medications.
The abuse and misuse of opioid products containing oxycodone and hydrocodone, including brands such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet and Lortab increased significantly in the early-to-mid 2000s, doubling between 1998 and 2008. In the early 2000s, millions of Americans were abusing prescription drugs, and emergency room visits resulting from the abuse of narcotic pain relievers increased dramatically. As a result of the increase in misuse and abuse of prescription painkillers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and the FDA have responded with product formulations that contain abuse-deterrent properties and have supported education on proper opioid prescribing and use.
The abuse of prescription drugs still continues, whether on a minimal or even maximum scale, within the United States, as its permissive use can impact the mind of abusers. To meet prevention, it starts with activism and support.