In the midst of the current coronavirus pandemic, the United States continues to struggle with an ongoing opioid epidemic, initially fueled by widespread prescribing of opioid medications during the 1990s. The primary reason for prescribing opioids is to treat pain. Women have more acute and chronic pain and have been prescribed these drugs in significantly greater numbers than men. Comparison of women and men with chronic pain also shows that women receive the majority of prescription opioids, and the use of these prescribed medications became the major pathway to misuse and addiction for women. Yet, recognition of the extent of women's exposure to opioids and the attendant consequences has been limited. Attempts to stem the overall tide of the epidemic focused on reducing the availability of prescription opioids. However, as these medications became more difficult to obtain and treatment opportunities were limited, many turned to other synthetic opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl. Thus, the public health crisis of opioid addiction has endured. This paper highlights the importance of understanding differences among women and men in opioid use and its biological and psychosocial effects to advance the gender-based treatment approaches and effective public health policy.

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女性、阿片类药物的使用和成瘾

在当前的冠状病毒大流行中，美国继续与持续的阿片类药物流行作斗争，最初是由 1990 年代阿片类药物的广泛处方推动的。处方阿片类药物的主要原因是治疗疼痛。女性有更多的急性和慢性疼痛，并且服用这些药物的人数明显多于男性。对患有慢性疼痛的女性和男性的比较也表明，女性接受了大部分处方阿片类药物，而这些处方药的使用成为女性滥用和成瘾的主要途径。然而，对妇女接触类阿片药物的程度和随之而来的后果的认识是有限的。试图阻止流行病的总体趋势集中在减少处方阿片类药物的供应上。然而，由于这些药物越来越难以获得且治疗机会有限，许多人转向其他合成类阿片，如海洛因和芬太尼。因此，阿片类药物成瘾的公共卫生危机已经持续。本文强调了解女性和男性在阿片类药物使用方面的差异及其生物学和心理社会影响的重要性，以推进基于性别的治疗方法和有效的公共卫生政策。