Welcome to the Mayo Clinic Opioid Resource Center, produced in association with the new Mayo Clinic Press book “Ending The Crisis: Mayo Clinic’s Guide to Opioid Addiction and Safe Opioid Use.” Here you will find articles and other educational materials to help you better understand opioids. Please watch this short video from Holly Geyer, M.D., the author of “Ending of the Crisis,” and scroll down to find other resources, including Dr. Geyer’s book. We hope that the resources you find here will enlighten you on how opioids work — and how they turned into the United States’ biggest public health crisis.
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Ending the Crisis
Mayo Clinic’s Guide to Opioid Addiction and Safe Opioid Use Holly L. Geyer, M.D. Developed by Mayo Clinic leaders in the fields of pain management, opioids, and addiction, and championed by people willing to share their personal experiences, this empowering book encourages patients and their loved ones to make informed, life-saving decisions about the use of opioids. The book includes: A foreword by former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, whose landmark report declared opioids one of the nation’s most urgent health issues Advice for how to work with health care providers to use opioids safely, manage side effects and prevent complications Resources for those struggling with addiction, and their families, from how treatment centers work to how to find a program that can help Example of a real-life intervention, including a play-by-play narrative of the discussion and a post-intervention evaluation Step-by-step instructions for how to administer life-saving doses of naloxone Impactful personal stories of people who have experienced opioid addiction
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Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it’s up to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its strong potency means it can be used in operating rooms, to control pain after surgery and to alleviate pain for people with advanced cancer. -
How exactly did we manage to end up with the opioid epidemic, and how do we dig ourselves out? Dr. Holly L. Geyer, Addiction Medicine Specialist at Mayo Clinic, sits down with us to discuss the opioid epidemic: how we got here, how we approached solutions in the past, and… -
You’ve likely heard the term “opioids” before, as well as all the negative connotations that come with it. But what exactly ARE opioids, and is there a safe way to use them? Dr. Holly L. Geyer, Addiction Medicine Specialist at Mayo Clinic, sits down with us to explain how opioids… -
Morphineis one of the world’s most ubiquitous and useful pain relievers. It’s a natural medicine derived from the opium poppy plant. Since its discovery, it has been the key element in the family of opioid drugs — including cough syrup, codeine, fentanyl (Actiq, Fentora, Sublimaze), heroin,… -
Whenever your health care provider prescribes a medicine, it’s important to learn about the drug you’ll be taking. In this short guide, we’ll discuss different types of opioids. For more information about opioids, read the Mayo Clinic Press Book “Ending the Crisis: Mayo Clinic’s Guide to Opioid Addiction and Safe… -
Book Excerpt | OpioidsNavigating insurance coverage for treatment of opioid use disorder
Health care insurance isn’t always easy to figure out. The language may not be clear, and you may feel a bit lost in conversations regarding your coverage. Despite these challenges, it’s important to thoroughly understand whether the cost of treatment will be covered by your insurance to avoid financial hardship… -
Book Excerpt | OpioidsWhat exactly are opioids?
Opioids are a powerful class of medications meant to be used for a short time after an injury or surgery to manage acute pain and enable activity. Drugs that fall into this class include morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, fentanyl and the illegal drug heroin. The term “opioid” is often used… -
Opioids are a class of prescription medication meant to manage pain and improve a person’s activity level. They’re usually meant to be taken for a short time while a person recovers from an injury or surgery. Opioids also are highly addictive. A person with a one-day prescription has a 6%… -
Opioid addiction can have heartbreaking consequences. Friends and family members who are desperately trying to get their loved one help have a front-row seat to the devastation. Opioids are a class of drugs used to relieve pain. They may be prescribed to treat some forms of chronic pain or pain… -
Opioids are a powerful tool for treating pain. However, they are not the only solution. Whether you are looking for alternative therapies for pain or are hoping to learn more about holistic pain management, it’s important to know that pain is most often addressed using a… -
More than 2 million people in the U.S. have an addiction to opioids, which is also known as opioid use disorder. Yet only 10% of these individuals pursue treatment. When someone you care about is struggling with opioid addiction, an intervention is one way you can… -
Book Excerpt | OpioidsDavid and David’s Wife: A Patient Story
DAVID : “ I WAS SO RELIEVED” I grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Iowa. I had a great childhood. My uncle and I did a lot of farming together and it was really good. I developed a strong work ethic, working hard and spending time…
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