A Brief Note On Pain And Prescription Drugs Essay

While our major access to these drugs is doctors, we cannot simply lay blame on them, as there is not enough knowledge about these treatments to correctly appropriate drugs, and therefore extra is given (Hemphill 373). Alexander of the Department of Epidemiology of the Journal of the American Medical Association, states that “There are serious gaps in the knowledge base regarding opioid use for other chronic nonmalignant pain” (Alexander 1865-1866), which leads to the unfortunately large number of leftover drugs. In fact, the main place that people get their drugs are from leftover prescriptions (Hemphill 373).

The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such.

Opioids are classified as opium like compounds; some (ex. codeine and morphine) exist naturally in opium, which is a gummy substance derived from the seedpod of the opium poppy, indigenous to Southern Asia. Other opioids are of the synthetic category, such as methadone or fentanyl (opioidaddictionsource.com). Though the use of prescription opioids may be well intended, due to their effect on the brain chemistry, it is fairly common for one to become addicted to them; America is amidst a raging prescription opioid epidemic, in fact.

Mike Alstott knows first-hand how opioids, when used correctly, can play an important role in managing pain and helping people to function, but he is also keenly aware of the growing crisis of opioid misuse and overdose. More American adults are dying from misusing prescription narcotics than ever before. An estimated 35 people die every day in the U.S. from accidental prescription painkiller overdoses resulting from things like not taking a medication as directed or not understanding how multiple

Opioid abuse, misuse and overdose is a problem in The United States. You can’t turn on the TV or read a newspaper without some mention of the epidemic. This issue has caused the practice of prescribing or taking narcotic pain medication to be looked at under a microscope. Patients are fearful to use some necessary pain medication, because they may become addicted. Other patients who genuinely do have pain and need medication are having a tougher time obtaining the help they need. The problem of abuse and addiction is tough to solve since for some people the medications are the only way they can function and live a semi-normal life. A patient with pain may be hesitant to visit the doctor and

For thousands of years, opiates have been used in the treatment of pain. Opium is believed to have been discovered 6000 BC, and since then, it has had a huge impact on both medicine and the recreations of those seeking euphoria. More recent than the ancient discovery of natural opium are the derivatives of opium, such as the alkaloids morphine, codeine, and thebaine. From these alkaloids, semi-synthetic opiates can by synthesized, such as hydrocodone, and oxycodone. Synthetic opioids are also quite prevalent, which include fentanyl and tramadol. Opium can also be processed into heroin, a morphine derivative. As advancements were made in science and engineering to allow for a wider distribution and usage of opiates, the problems of dependence and overdose also increased drastically. According to Hart and Ksir (2013, p. 302), the invention of the hypodermic needle for intravenous administration of morphine and other drugs allowed for a much faster and more potent dose of the drug. With this increased potency came an increase in the possibility of a recreational intravenous user to overdose. Hart also mentions that some of the wars surrounding the era of the synthesis of morphine may have contributed to the rise of morphine, seeing as a medic soldier’s motto was always “first provide relief” (2013). This relief-driven attitude and extensive use of opioid analgesics in medicine during the time, in addition to the large amount of patent medicines and remedies on the market may

Prescribers play an important role in preventing the use and abuse of opioids. Physicians and regulators need more information about whether, and how, opioids should be used for treating chronic pain. Prescriber education about the best uses of opioids, including knowing when and for which patients they should be used is important in averting the drug abuse. FDA has recommended many educational training programs for clinician’s on the safest use of these

Talking to the doctor about all the choices available will ensure the method of pain management which suits the patient best to be chosen. Discussing any side effects of opioid use can determine whether or not prescription painkillers are the right option for the patient (CDC, 2017). Furthermore, pharmacists can help patients understand opioid use and how they should be taken (NIDA, 2017). Following the pharmacist’s instructions, a patient will understand when to take opioids, how much to take, proper storage, and proper disposal (CDC, 2017). The increase of communication amongst these people can allow patients to safely take opioids, minimizing the risk of

Most people are familiar with prescription medications; almost everyone has taken them at one point or another during their lifetime. Not all prescription drugs are addicting, but a large number of them are. Prescription drug abuse is a disease that has become a major problem in the United States, which affects over six-million Americans. Prescription drug abuse not only affects the individual, but can additionally have far-reaching consequences that affect family, personal health, employment, communities and society as a whole. Research has shown that at least 10% of people prescribed an addictive medication will become dependent on the medicine. Due to prescription drug abuse, states are beginning to monitor doctors who prescribe certain medications, more closely, which may scare some physicians away from prescribing helpful medications to people who truly need them.

Chronic pain is an important public health problem that negatively impacts the quality of life of affected individuals and exacts a tremendous cost in both healthcare costs and lost productivity. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) in its landmark report on relieving pain in American estimated that 100 million individuals suffer from chronic pain at a socio-economic cost of between $560 and $635 billion annually [IOM, 2011]. Opioids have been increasingly prescribed for the management of chronic pain, and along with this increase in use has come an increase in opioid misuse and abuse. Of the opioids that are abused, 60% are obtained directly or indirectly through a physician’s prescription.

Opioid medications are frequently prescribed for severe pain. Opioids includes the pain medications like oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and fentanyl as well as the illegal drug heroin (American Society of Addiction Medication, 2016). Many people rely on these drugs to relieve their pain from surgery, active cancer, chronic pain and end of life care (WebMD, 2017). Studies from the 2012 National Health Interview show that over 11% of adults report having chronic pain (Dowell, Haegerich & Chou, 2016). The opioid epidemic is a significant issue for nursing on the main respect that there is currently a problem with over- prescribing of narcotics and the millions of people addicted to opioid medications

Article 11: Chronic pain is associated with impairment in sleep. The relationship between using prescribed opioids and sleep is unclear. The focus of the study was to examine differences in self-reported sleep quality between groups of patients who were different by chronic pain and prescribed opioid status. The use of opioids with chronic non-cancer pain continues to increase. Common adverse effects associated with the initiation of opioids including constipation, nausea, somnolence, and vomiting. Up to 50% of patients stop taking opioid therapy because of intolerance or insufficient pain relief. Research shows that pain often results in disruptions to sleep and impaired sleep itself a risk factor for pain. In a comprehensive review

The amount of individuals who die annually from accidental overdose is extremely unnerving. One of the biggest issues the world is facing in the 21st century is prescription opioid and illegal drug abuse. Unfortunately, this lethal dilemma is not publicized in the media as much as other things such as celebrity drama, cancer prevention, or the newest fitness craze. The notorious opioid epidemic is in full swing and has effected individuals from all religions, cultures, and genders. Although it may seem like a collective issue, adolescents are in the most danger.

Inpatients in adult psychiatric units who are diagnosed with chronic pain may be perceived as narcotic abusers. Even with the complete, proper physical and history assessment, it may not be fully determined whether or not they are receiving the sufficient pain regimen. The subjects who take part in this research are patients in a hospital’s psychiatric unit and must be diagnosed with chronic pain in order to fit the category. Healthcare providers classify psychiatric patients to abuse the healthcare system for the intention of obtaining free narcotics. The issue of this insight is

Endogenous opioids such as dynorphin and enkephalin were found to be expressed at higher levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of FMS patients (Clauw, 2014). At the same time MORs have decreased availability in patients with FMS (Harris et al., 2007), likely explaining why opioid treatment has limited effectiveness in treating this disorder and may actually worsen the symptoms over time (Painter & Crofford, 2013). This may actually work to heighten pain as continuously elevated levels of dynorphin is associated with opioid-induced pain (Vanderah et al., 2001). High dynorphin levels combined with low MOR availability could lead to a state of hyperalgesia (Vanderah et al., 2000). Estrogens' effect on this