Comprehensive Approaches in Battling Opioid use Disorder: Analysis and Treatment Strategies

Bhavinkumar Shah

Abstract: This article delves into the multifaceted issue of opioid use disorder (OUD), encompassing its mechanisms, addiction trends and treatment strategies. It provides a comprehensive overview of opioid classification, their mechanism of action, the evolution of opioid overdose cases, and current therapeutic approaches, emphasizing the need for a balanced and informed response to this public crisis. Opioids are a class of drug that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant. Opioids are derived in 3 major classes that is natural opiates (morphine, codeine), semi - synthetic opioids (hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone & oxycodone) and lastly fully synthetic opioids (fentanyl, methadone).

Keywords: Opioid Use Disorder, Addiction Treatment, Overdose Prevention, Medication-Assisted Therapy, Public Health Crisis