NURS 6630 Week 9 Blog: Substance Use, Addiction/Impulse Control Disorder Example

NURS 6630 Week 9 Blog: Substance Use, Addiction/Impulse Control Disorder Example

NURS 6630 Week 9 Blog: Substance Use, Addiction/Impulse Control Disorder Example

The addiction I selected off the list is Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). OUD is a problematic, chronic pattern of opioid use that causes distress or impairment. Even if a person wants to stop, they are unable to break the cycle of taking opioids. To diagnose providers, use the DSM-5 checklist criteria to assess for the presence of OUD. OUD is assessed by at least 2 out of 11 on the list below occurring within 1 year:

• Continued opioid use despite worsening physical or psychological health
• Continued opioid use despite social and interpersonal consequences
• Decreased social or recreational activities
• Difficulty fulfilling professional duties at school or work
• Excessive time is taken to obtain or recover from taking opioids
• More opioids are taken than intended
• Opioid cravings occur
• Inability to decrease the amount of opioids used
• Tolerance to opioids develops
• Opioid use continues despite the dangers it poses to the user
• Withdrawal occurs, or the user continues to take opioids to avoid withdrawal (Opioid Use Disorder: Diagnosis, 2024).

Severity is based on the above results:

• Mild: 2-3 criteria
• Moderate: 4-5 criteria
• Severe: greater than or equal to 6 criteria (Opioid Use Disorder: Diagnosis, 2024).

Street names of opioid consist of jackpot, juice, monkey, china girl, subs, demmies, oxy, stop signs, white stuff, biscuits, tram, fizzies, smack, bupes, and O.C (Brandon, 2025). Individuals can take opioids by inhalation (snorted), smoking, intravenously, orally, sublingually, and transdermal. Opioids come in liquid, patch, pill, cream, and film form. Sometimes people will crush the pill up to snort it.

Symptoms of OUD consist of physical independence, disheveled appearance, isolation, opioid cravings, weight loss, drowsiness, frequent flu-like symptoms, changes in sleeping habits, stealing, financial crisis, and taking more opioids or taking opioids longer than prescribed (Opioid Use Disorder, 2023). Symptoms of withdrawal from opioids consist of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain, diaphoresis, tachycardia, hypertension, insomnia, restlessness, agitation, intense craving for opioids, and myalgia (Opioid Use Disorder, 2025). These symptoms are uncomfortable but rarely life threatening unlike alcohol or benzodiazepines (Opioid Use Disorder, 2025).

First line treatment or gold standard treatment of OUD is medication opioid use disorder (MOUD) (Research, 2024). MOUD treatment involves use of either of these medications buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone (Research, 2024). The selected medication choose from the list was buprenorphine also known as suboxone. Suboxone is a medication that helps to suppress withdrawal symptoms (Stahl, 2021). Suboxone is a mu receptor partial agonist and potent analgesic on the central nervous system (CNS) (Kumar et al., 2024).

Like any drug suboxone has common side effects. Side effects consist of insomnia, headache, withdrawal syndrome, vasodilation, abdominal pain, hyperhidrosis, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain, and constipation (Medscape, 2025). Suboxone is administered sublingually or via buccal. To take sublingually the patient should rinse their mouth out with a small amount of room temperature water., then place film strip or tablet under their tongue close to the base either on the right or left side, keep it in place until the medication is completely dissolved (Medscape, 2025).

The patient should not eat or drink anything until the medication is completely dissolved (Medscape, 2025). Buccal film is administered by the patient wetting their cheek by tongue or by rinsing their mouth with water to moisten the area, hold buccal film with freshly cleaned, dry hands with the text (BN2, BN4, BN6) facing up, then place the side of film with text against the inside of the cheek, press and hold film in place for five seconds (Medscape, 2025). Avoid any manipulation of the film and avoid eating and drinking until the film is completely dissolved (Medscape, 2025).

If the patient appears to show signs of OUD the provider should use the DSM-5 criteria tool to assess the patient for OUD. The provider should approach the patient in a nonjudgmental way to discuss his observation, signs, and diagnosis. A mental health, past medical, family, social, surgical, and injury history evaluation to identify gateways for opioid abuse. You may need to collaborate with other healthcare professionals depending upon the results of the assessments. A physical assessment should be completed along