What we need to understand about opioids | Body Stuff

Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter

TED

Health & Fitness

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 29 June 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When we are in pain, we often turn to over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen. Sometimes, however, we’re prescribed opioid painkillers, and there’s a perception that this will be a more effective treatment, because opiods are the “strongest” treatment. But a lot of what we think we know about opioids is due to propaganda from pharmaceutical companies and confusing medical guidelines. In today’s episode, Dr. Jen breaks down opioids: what ARE they? What do they do in our brain, and how do they affect pain? From discussing the difference between opioid addiction and opioid dependence, to tracing the history that’s led to today’s epidemic of opioid addiction (and what we might try as a society to fix it), this episode aims to arm you with information – because we all deserve access to responsible pain treatment.

https://go.ted.com/BSTscript15

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ted Audio Collective Hi, everyone. I want to give you a heads-up that we mentioned
0:09.7	Substance Abuse and Suicide in this episode. Please keep that in mind as you're listening
0:15.4	and think about who might be listening with you.
0:17.8	I was 40 miles into a 60-mile bike ride and feeling great, representing the
0:29.9	55-year-old ladies. And then my wheel got caught in some tram tracks. Before I could
0:37.6	think or react, I was crashing into the pavement. Hard. Lots of things hurt and I
0:44.7	was scraped up pretty badly. I did the thing we doctors do so often. Pretend it
0:50.7	was nothing. But the pain in my chest was something I hadn't experienced
0:56.2	before. Every breath was agony and it was getting worse. I was sure something was broken.
1:05.3	It got so hard to breathe that I started worrying a broken rib might have punctured my lung.
1:11.3	At the ER, I waited, and waited, and waited. I finally got an exam and after diagnosing
1:19.2	two broken ribs, no punctured lung, the doctor offered me opioids for the pain.
1:25.3	I wanted to try Tylenol first because I know it's a really effective pain reliever,
1:30.2	but my request was so unusual it took what felt like ages to get the Tylenol. And by that
1:36.6	time, the pain was nearly unbearable. And I was getting really anxious. I felt I had
1:44.3	no other choice, so I took the opioids. Eventually I left the hospital with seven days worth
1:51.3	of opioids, medications that can have big consequences. And I left with not much
1:56.9	guidance about how to take them, and no guidance about how to stop taking them.
2:02.6	I'm Dr. Jen Gunter, and from the Ted Audio Collective, this is Body Stuff. Chances are,
2:12.2	at some point you or someone in your life will take opioids. They're a common pain medication.
2:18.4	So what are all the risks of opioids, and are they as effective as many of us think they are?
2:25.1	In this episode, what you need to know about your options for treating pain, and what to do if
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