Pain Killers Analysis

In Nolan and Amico’s article, “How Bad is the Opioid Epidemic?” they argue the opioid epidemic has become the worst drug crisis in American history. Heroin and other opioids overdose kill more than 47,055 people a year. Deaths caused from drug overdose has outnumber as much as 40 percent compared to the death caused from car crashes in 2014 (Nolan and Amico 3). Furthermore, in 1999 there were only 15000 people died from drug overdose. This number has tripled in 15 years. Also, in his article, “America’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse” Volkow also presents the fact that “with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin. The consequences of this abuse have been devastating and are on the rise. For example, the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has

The United States currently faces an unprecedented epidemic of opioid addiction. This includes painkillers, heroin, and other drugs made from the same base chemical. In the couple of years, approximately one out of twenty Americans reported misuse or abuse of prescriptions painkillers. Heroin abuse and overdoses are on the rise and are the leading cause of injury deaths, surpassing car accidents and gun shots. The current problem differs from the opioid addiction outbreaks of the past in that it is also predominant in the middle and affluent classes. Ultimately, anyone can be fighting a battle with addiction and it is important for family members and loved ones to know the signs. The cause for this epidemic is that the current spike of opioid abuse can be traced to two decades of increased prescription rates for painkillers by well-meaning physicians.

In today’s society, there is a growing opioid epidemic. Many teens are abusing every day medicines such as depressants, stimulants and painkillers. Most teens also have an addiction for heroin. In the article, it talks about how over the counter drugs are misused by Americans aged 14 years or older. when it comes to drug abuse the number of casualties have grown exponentially. I learned that in 2012 to 2013 there was an increase of 39% of heroin related deaths. Most first time users are Caucasians. In addition, Heroin users first abuse prescription painkillers such as opioid painkillers. When it comes to teens, they choose cheaper methods of drugs because heroin is a lot cheaper then prescription pills. Heroin by its self is horrible enough,

With every five first time heroin users, four of them will have started out by using prescription painkillers (ASAM). According to the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the years 2010 to 2013 showed an increase of heroin-overdose deaths by 37% (NIDA). Until recently, opioid addiction, related criminal activity and death have been deeply casted into the shadows of important issues in our societies at a global level. Care for this particular area of substance abuse is urgent and crucial, one dosage having the capability to kill a person instantly. Before people can rid themselves of the poisons, the human body reacts to the absence of opioids in a powerful cycle of withdrawal. Decades filled with little to no research surrounding the rehabilitation of this common but life threatening illness has unfortunately resulted in few options for people to turn to. Medical experts, politicians and even passionate citizens are beginning to point attention towards this progressively large margin of individuals that are becoming addicted, desperate for treatment, and ending up with results of complete failure. The one-size-fits-all approach to opioid treatment needs to be abolished and replaced with a method of accountability and strict individual progress.

When people picture a drug addict, many individuals may see the same picture of a dirty, disgusting, maybe even homeless, individual that has no place in this world. While addicts like this do exist, the wide spread of the current opiate addiction crisis has completely changed the worlds perception. The word opiate is a wide spread term for a group of narcotics that cause sedation, respiratory failure, and if used excessively, can result in death. However, their high potential for addiction has resulted in what some parts of the world have declared as a public health crisis. With the over-prescribing of painkillers and the increased availability and lowered price of heroin on the streets, opiate addictions and overdoses have increased dramatically;

The misuse of and dependence to opioid drugs such as the frequently prescribed oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and the illegal drug heroin is a worldwide crisis that impacts the societal well-being, health, and economy of nearly every population. The wake of the recently named epidemic can be felt by family members, health care professionals, communities, and policy makers around the world. Taking the lead in causes of accidental deaths in the United States, the fatalities resulting from opioid overdose have quadrupled since the early 2000’s. Research has indicated a causal link between prescription opioid abuse and increased rates of heroin usage

It is likely that at some point in a person’s life it will be necessary to obtain medical assistance due to a chronic illness, injury, or sudden accident that requires a physician’s diagnosis and perhaps prescription medication. Although this very routine happening may be necessary, and at times critical, the adverse effects of taking prescription drugs that contain opioids can lead to an addiction, possible overdose, and death. The research contained continues the debated topic focusing on the connection between heroin addiction and massive numbers of people who developed a dependency after taking legally prescribed opioid pain medicine. The topic will be

Drug abuse and misuse are prominent problems in the United States, whether the issue is with trafficking, overdoses causing death, illegal recreational use in adolescents, or even improper prescriptions by medical professionals leading to physiological dependence. The formerly listed problems stem from outdated, yet current, classification system of drugs in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The “Heroin Epidemic” is an example of a problem concerning improper prescribing in medical practice; this issue began when many medical professionals began to prescribe potent painkillers to their patients early in their treatments. Over time and with consistent use, the patients grew to psychologically and physiologically depend on the painkillers. Eventually, the prescribed painkillers became unaffordable and patients began to depend on a cheaper drug with similar, yet more dangerous, effects: heroin. As a result, many are addicted to heroin as compared to prescription drugs. There is also an issue concerning qualified medical professionals that “pill mill,” meaning they prescribe Schedule II drugs such as oxycodone with the sole purpose to make more money; this puts the patient in danger in exchange for the doctor’s personal benefit. As a student pursuing a career in the medical field, I find that the proper implementation and use of medicine and drugs is vital to providing quality health care, so that events like the heroin

Believe it or not, doctor-prescribed drugs such as codeine, morphine, and oxycodone are in the same class of drugs as Heroin is because they are all considered Opioids. Even if a patient does not have any history of drug abuse or addiction, it does not take more than one prescription for that person to become dependent on a drug that completely takes their pain away. If a person walks into a doctor’s office and claims they are in terrible pain, they will almost certainly walk out of the office with a prescription. According to Michael McCarthy, “Experts ascribe the rise in the abuse of prescription drugs to the increased availability of these drugs, growing social acceptance of sedatives, painkillers, and anti-anxiety medications, and the perception that pharmaceutical drugs are safe, especially among young people.” (McCarthy 1505) A person who has never taken any kind of drug could walk into a doctor’s appointment with a terrible cough, leave with a prescription for codeine, and be hooked three days later; one really can not be too careful. Prescription painkillers are human-made to numb physical pain, while street drugs, with an extremely similar chemical make-up, are abused to numb physical and emotional pain. Nobody wants to live a life with hardship, difficulty, or any kind of hurt, so a

In the United States today, heroin overdosage is the highest rate it has been since 2002 (“Overdose Death Rates”). Heroin is a drug that can be sold off of any person will to take the risk of selling the drug. Former addicts will tell you that heroin is cheaper on the street that any other drug. You can involve yourself with heroin in many different ways. This attracts people to obtain the drug for those reasons. Heroin addiction can happen to the most successful people as demonstrated in the story of Kurt Cobain’s abuse of heroin.

The mishandle of and dependence on opioids, for example, heroin, morphine, and solution torment relievers is a genuine worldwide issue that influences the wellbeing, social, and financial welfare of all social orders. It is assessed that between 26.4 million and 36 million individuals mishandle opioids worldwide,[1] with an expected 2.1 million individuals in the United States experiencing substance utilize clusters identified with solution opioid torment relievers in 2012 and an expected 467,000 dependent on heroin.[2] The results of this manhandling have been destroying and are on the ascent. For instance, the quantity of accidental overdose passing’s from medicine torment relievers has taken off in the United

It's scary to think that we live in a world where drug addiction is a growing epidemic plaguing families on a daily basis. One of the most common drug abuse problems to date is that of addiction to prescription medications, but more specifically opiates. Opiates are used to help treat chronic and severe pain, but the drug can become highly addictive. In recent years, more people have overdosed as a result of prescription medications than both heroin and cocaine combined.

Working in the addiction field, I get to see foremost how addiction affects people. Watching these men and women come into treatment broken, damaged, and scared, it is difficult to see. When I look at these women who come into the program where I work, I see a piece of me in them all. I too have been where they are at. A majority of patients that come into these programs are seeking help from opiate addiction. Over the past few years, treatment centers have expanded due to the demand to help opiate abusers. It has definitely become an epidemic over the years, but why? Research shows that when doctors started to overly prescribe narcotic pain medication, the rate for heroin users rose over the years. Prescription drugs play a major role

As the crisis began to ramp up, sales of OxyContin, Perdue’s primary opioid painkiller, grew from $48 million in 1996 to $1.1 billion in 2000 (Van Zee 222). They achieved this goal by systematically misrepresenting the addictiveness of their products, telling doctors that there was virtually no potential for abuse. Though this was true for the treatment of acute pain, when used for longer periods of time for chronic pain, as they were being marketed and subsequently prescribed, they proved to be highly addictive. These prescription drugs are highly addictive and often drive addicts to move to more potent, less expensive street heroin when their prescriptions run out. One survey conducted among people undergoing treatment for heroin in 2014 found that 94% of patients started with prescription painkillers

Opiates are one of the most commonly-abused prescription drugs. The number of prescriptions written for opiates doubled from 1991 to 2013. Researchers believe that the ease of