Non-Opioid Substance Abuse: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Course overview

In many regions of the United States, it is not only opioids that are causing tens of thousands of deaths per year, but also the mixing of other dangerous prescription and nonprescription drugs with opioids and alcohol. These deadly mixtures, known as Goofballs and Speedballs, are devastating many American communities. Goofballs were once street slang for barbiturates such as Seconal or benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax. Today, the term Goofball refers to a dangerous combination of potent methamphetamine and heroin. This mixture is often injected but may also be snorted or smoked. Regardless of the route, Goofballs can be fatal. Speedballs are mixtures of cocaine and heroin or other opioids like fentanyl. Several wellknown celebrities, including John Belushi, Chris Farley, River Phoenix, and Layne Staley, died from Speedball overdoses. Cocaine and methamphetamine provide an Up effect to counter the Down effect of opioids. This webinar will discuss how these non opioid drugs may be incorrectly prescribed, feed into opioid addiction, and contribute to the dramatic rise in overdose deaths and substance use disorders in the United States. Clinicians must understand what substances patients are using in addition to opioids in order to grasp the full scope of the opioid epidemic.