Death by Opioids: Are there non-addictive scientific solutions?

Abstract

In the face of the current Opioid crisis in America killing close to 800,000 people since 2004, we are proposing a novel approach to assist in at least attenuating these unwanted premature deaths. While we applaud the wonderful efforts of our governmental institutes and professional societies (NIDA, NIAAA, ASAM, ABAM ) in their extraordinary efforts in combating this continued dilemma, the current approach is failing, and other alternative approaches should at least be tested. These truths present a serious ethical dilemma to scientists, clinicians and counselors in the Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) treatment community. It is important to realize that the current DSM-5 does not actually accurately display the natural brain reward process. The human brain has not been designed to carve out specific drugs like opioids, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, benzodiazepines or cannabis and process addictions such as gambling as distinct endophenotypes. This is true in spite of natural ligands for cannabinoids, endorphins, or even benzodiazepines. The most accurate endophenotype is indeed reward dysfunction (e.g hypodopaminergic or hyperdopaminergic). With this mind, we are hereby proposing that the current Medication Assisted Treatment (i.e. 'MAT') expands to needed individuals as an initial "Band-Aid" to reduce harm avoidance, with the long-term goal of prophylaxis. So, to be clear, there may be other promising modalities other than MAT such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), exercise and even new medications with positive allosteric modulators of GABA-A receptors, as well as the highly researched Genetic Addiction Risk Score (GARS) coupled with precision KB220Z. This will induce "dopamine homeostasis" to effectively rebalance and restore healthier brain function by promoting the cross talk between various brain regions (e.g. Nucleus accumbens, cingulate gyrus, hippocampus etc.) resulting in dopamine homeostasis. Our laudable goal is to not only save lives, but to redeem joy and improve the quality of life in the recovery community through scientifically sound natural non-addicting alternatives.