Patient Addiction Analysis

Almost one hundred years ago, prescription drugs like morphine were available at almost any general store. Women carried bottles of very addictive potent opiate based pain killers in their purse. Many individuals like Edgar Allen Poe died from such addictions. Since that time through various federal, state and local laws, drugs like morphine are now prescription drugs; however, this has not stopped the addiction to opiate based pain killers. Today’s society combats an ever increasing number of very deadly addictive drugs from designer drugs to narcotics to the less potent but equally destructive alcohol and marijuana. With all of these new and old drugs going in and out of vogue with addicts, it appears that the increase of misuse and

Opioids are taking over the United States with its addictive composition, once patients are take opioids there is no escaping. The drug directed from opium which is obtained from a plant (Katz). Opioids are most commonly found in prescription pill from making underground sales more common. Since opioids are derived from a plant this makes the reality of home grown drugs more of an issue. American citizens overdosing on opioids is what is sparking the crisis because opioid “overdoses killed more people last year than guns or car accidents” (Katz). Opioids are extremely addictive and that is why so many citizens overdose on these types of drugs. After patients become hooked on opioids their body constantly is needing more and more opium to escape they pain they think they are enduring. The overdosing of Americans is not a small percentage of the population either, it is estimated that “over two million people in America have problem with opioids” proving this growing issue is an ongoing crisis (Katz). The United States government needs to take action immediately to the opioid crisis because doctors are overprescribing patients because they seemingly overreact to pain, and opioids are one of the most addictive drug types in the world.

With access to prescription drugs, people are able to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses. These drugs help deal with pain, inability to sleep, depression, and much more. Every day we are increasingly living in a world where there is better living through chemicals. However, what most do not seem to see is the rising tide of pain, illness, and ultimately death being caused by the pills people take every day. Most keep drugs in a special place in their minds, where they see them as harmless. Sadly, this is not the case, and in some cases our prescription drugs can be just as harmful as illegal drugs (King 68).

Disconnected With Life. Americans today tend to not realize we’re slowly being separated from each other. Whether it be electronics keeping us away from the family at night or just social media that keeps us from going outside and actually socializing. It has become a serious problem and it happens more and more as we continue to advance in technology. Not to mention it's forming another problem in the way we’ve shaped our societies so that it's extremely easy to be cut off from human connections without even realizing it. Johann Hari, The author of “The Likely Cause of Addiction” pulled my attention towards realizing that this addiction is a fast paced growing problem. Hari Specifically states,"We have created human societies where it is easier for people to become cut off from all human connections than ever before." He’s basically stating that it’s become way too easy to be disconnected from our society and its gotten worse over time. Honestly I agree with how he thinks, we don’t realize it but we’re all being slowly cut off from our society. Whether we like it or not we’ve created our society to be the way it is, and it caused us to be so easily disconnected from one another.

Have you ever thought about doing drugs? If so you're not the first, but you probably didn't think about how it could affect you and your life. In 2016 63,600 people didn’t think of the consequences and ended up dying from overdosing in the United States. 42,249 deaths involved an opioid. Opioids are drugs made to replicate opium. They both include legal painkillers like morphine, oxycodone, or hydrocodone prescribed by doctors. The problem with opioids has been growing for years and its growing with each year. The misuse of and addiction of opioids is a serious national crisis. It effects public health as well as social and economic welfare.

Base on the sales representatives instructions, physicians started prescribing “opioids”. Shortly after, it was discovered that patient’s pain was relieved only for a small span of time, and when the pain came back it was more intense. Users had developed a resistance to “opioids”. Physicians then kept increasing their patient’s dose of medication, until the drug no longer had any effect on their bodies’ nervous system. Patients become accustomed to the fast release of endorphins cause by “opioids” (a chemical in the brain that naturally diminishes pain perception, and also acts like a sedative). Users began to notice the “rush” of the pain medication, like oxicodone (a fast relieve but short acting drug), oxicontine (extended relieve form of oxicodone) the most addicting form of “opioids”. By now they were not looking to ease their pain other that supply their dependency on the drugs. When Patients were no longer able to get enough medication from doctors, they either bought pills illegally or turned to a cheaper street drug, heroin, (a euphoric drug). “Heroin” affects the same brain receptors and provides the same “rush” effects like “oxicodone” enabling their

One thing contributing to the high usage of opiates is their ability to have strong pain relieving effects. The availability of prescription medications containing opium contributed to the misuse and abuse of the substance as well (Chen, Humphreys, & Shah, 2013, p. 60). Since opiates were easy to possess from medical personnel, it became clear that it was contributing to issues related to the misuse and abuse of opiates (Chen, Humphreys, & Shah, 2013, p. 60). Therefore, over the past few years, prescription drugs which possessed addictive qualities such as opioids, has been closely monitored to avoid nonmedical usage (Chen, Humphreys, & Shah, 2013, p. 60). Nonmedical prescription drug use and disorders are pervasive in the U.S. population, it also tends to be highly comorbid with other psychiatric disorders (Huang, et al., 2006, p.

What exactly are opioids? These medications are classified as narcotics which are used as Similar considerations may help explain why several prescription opioids — such as hydromorphone, fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone — have a potential for abuse that is similar to, and in some cases even higher than, the potential for abuse with heroin. Finally, these differential properties and effects are likely to interact with interindividual variability in powerful, complex, and incompletely predictable ways, so that some persons who abuse prescription opioids could find heroin less rewarding than prescription opioids, similarly rewarding, or even more rewarding

The New Dinner Roll: Overuse and Overprescribing Pharmaceutical drug dependency is not a new craze sweeping the nation. Although it has progressed, it is something that has been a noticeable issue since the early twentieth century. For starters, there is a pill for everything; pregnancy, being over-weight, pain, sneezing, and much more. When you have a variety like that, it’s hard not to take the easy way out. The latest generations of prescription drugs compensate conditions such as depression, gynecological disorders, hyperactivity, impotence, sleeping problems and more. We are waist deep in a pill culture. According to Tennent, a reason for this up-rise in patients being so eager to take up prescription drugs is that new and more sophisticated drugs have reduced the severity of accompanying side-effects. (Tennent) However, this is a gamble and something one could not be sure of. There are medications prescribed for less

Running head: METHADONE AND DEPENDENCY The Effects of Methadone Treatment on Opiate and Heroin Dependency Since the early times, opiates, heroin, and other drugs have been used in providing analgesia as well as substitutes to reach a place of euphoria. Originally, as Yurgelum-Todd et al (2009)

To put it in perspective, in a list of substances most abused by Americans ages 14 and older, prescription drugs came third with marijuana and alcohol taking the top two (“Prescription Medication Abuse” 4). Opioids specifically are contributing to this problem. The amount of opioids being used has also increased by 400% since 1997 (“Is Substance” 2). With about 2.1 million Americans being addicted to legal narcotics, opioid addictions make up the majority of prescription drug abuse in America (“Prescription Medication Abuse” 2-3). It doesn’t take long for an addiction to these substances to form either. In fact, one-third Americans who took prescription opioids for a minimum of two months became addicted to them (“Prescription Medication Abuse” 7). Although it may seem like a small problem, with about 30,000 Americans dying from opioid overdoses every year and an estimated 78 Americans dying every day, it is anything but (“Prescription Medication Abuse” 3). Not only can these addictions lead to death, it can also lead those suffering from opioid addictions to turn to illegal drugs. Those who become addicted to opioids will often switch to illegal opioids such as heroin or fentanyl (“Safer Alternatives” 1). There are a couple reasons why some may want to switch these drugs rather than the prescribed opioids. One, heroin is cheaper than

What is the greatest social problem facing society today? The greatest social problem in the United States is prescription drug abuse. The greatest number of overdoses on record happened in 2014; the majority of these involved opioids (CDC 2016). The time has came for Americans' to see the problem with prescription drugs. It is time to take a stand and join the fight.

The main issue presented in this article is that current painkillers are highly addictive, and all have extremely risky side effects. This is leading an increasing amount of people each year to form a dependency for these drugs. Ultimately, resulting in more people dying every year from causes that include painkiller addiction also known as opioid addiction.

For some people, drugs are a part of everyday life. Drugs are what allow them to be able to walk around in the mornings with no ache, or comfort the pain of a recent surgery, or help and individual cope with anxiety or stress; however, the same drugs that are used to bring enjoyment into one persons life can bring destruction into another. This has become a major problem in the U.S. and all over the world as well. In a recent survey, thirty different clinics, spread out over five urban areas, reported that thirty-six percent of admitted patients has admitted to the nonmedical use of prescription drugs over the past year (Brown, Chaitkin, 1981); consequently, prescription pain killers have lead to more deaths that than heroin and cocaine combined (CDC, 2013).

Beard 1 Skyler Beard Mrs. Aten English 9 Honors 19 February, 2015 Effects of Drug Use on Society and Individuals “The human brain is structured to ensure that individuals will repeat behaviors necessary to survival and well-being. To do this, the brain associates such behaviors with a “reward,” or feeling of pleasure”(Addiction). This natural occurrence in the body, this “pleasurable feeling”, has led to a plethora of harmful and dangerous substances being grown, manufactured, and sold, whether it be medicinal- for the use of sickness or injury (usually prescribed)- or illegally, which tend to be more harmful and more “alluring” so to speak, because of its illegality. Either it be legal or illegal, misuse of substances and eventual addiction harms not only the individual, but the community and society.