Pharmacy Dispensing Research Paper

Nonmedical Prescription-Opioid abuse in the United States and Michigan has continued to rise, and with it, the devastating results that accompany it. Research has shown that increased opioid abuse leads to an increase in overdose and death, increases in crime and increased incidences of costly blood borne diseases like HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis. It also leads to increased societal costs, such as an increasing number of children in foster care and increased healthcare, workplace and criminal justice costs that can decimate communities and local budgets. Many communities were caught with their heads in the sand, as they were overwhelmed by the influx of prescription opioids into their communities. When policies were finally implemented to curb the amount of prescription opioids in their communities, rates of heroin use (also an opioid) began to skyrocket and people began realizing they had an opioid epidemic on their hands. How to combat this heroin epidemic has been the topic of many debates. This article will attempt to examine the relationship of nonmedical prescription-opioid abuse and its effects on heroin use.

Nonmedical Prescription-Opioid abuse in the United States and Michigan has continued to rise, and with it, the devastating results that accompany it. Research has shown that increased opioid abuse leads to an increase in overdose and death, increases in crime and increased incidences of costly blood borne diseases like HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis. It also leads to increased societal costs, such as an increasing number of children in foster care and increased healthcare, workplace and criminal justice costs that can decimate communities and local budgets. Many communities were caught with their heads in the sand, as they were overwhelmed by the influx of prescription opioids into their communities. When policies were finally implemented to curb the amount of prescription opioids in their communities, rates of heroin use (also an opioid) began to skyrocket and people began realizing they had an opioid epidemic on their hands. How to combat this heroin epidemic has been the topic of many debates. This article will attempt to examine the relationship of nonmedical prescription-opioid abuse and its effects on heroin use.

Prescription drug abuse is an increasingly rampant public health issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has affirmed that the United States is in the midst of an epidemic of prescription drug overdose deaths (2010a). Drug overdose, especially related to the non-sanctioned consumption of prescription opioid analgesic (painkiller) drugs, is the second leading cause of deaths from unintentional injuries in the United States, surpassed only by motor vehicle mortalities (Girion, Glover, & Smith, 2011). In 2005, President Bush signed the National All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting Act (NASPER), which amends section 390O of the Public Health

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.

The issue of pain management has been an ongoing crisis for ages. The need for solutions and methods of avoiding pain is natural, however, as time has passed, misuse of these solutions has gotten out of hand. The abuse of prescription opioids, in particular, must be acknowledged. By prescribing opioids to patients, doctors are inadvertently creating drug addicts and fueling the heroin epidemic. As patients grow tolerant to opioids, they are forced to search for stronger drugs, commit crimes, and ultimately die. Alternate solutions for pain management and regulation of opiates must be implemented in order to prevent the meaningless loss of lives.

The state of Maine also has a pressing drug abuse problem. In 2012 drug use and abuse cost the state over $ 1.18 billion. In addition, the state saw a 20% increase in admissions into treatment programs over the last year (Maine DHHS, 2012). Over 60% of outpatient treatment admissions are due to some form of opioid (Figure 3). In addition, opioids make up the majority of deaths due to drug overdose (Figure 4). Bringing these numbers down will require a multi-pronged strategy including finding less addictive painkillers, improving prescription practices related to painkillers and reducing the desire of people to abuse painkillers. UNE is taking an active role in

Studies show that in the last 15 years the rate of opioid overdose deaths has paralleled the rate at which opioid prescriptions are given. Each year the number of deaths attributed to opioid overdose has increased, reaching 47,055 in 2014 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Still other statistics state that 4 out of 5 heroin users started on prescribed narcotics. When they could no longer obtain the drug legally, they turned to illegal means. Doctors at the American Medical Association, Hallam M. Gugelmann and Jeanmarie Perrone, state that “Individual use of prescription opioids increased 402% from 1997 to 2007. This increase in opioid prescribing parallels substantial increases in opioid addiction, fatal overdoses, and diversion of these drugs for recreational or nonmedical use.” The skyrocketing of overdose and death, as well as the millions of dollars expended for treatment has lead to a public outcry for change. Accomplishing this change seems daunting. How will America go about fixing such a pervasive problem? Logically, the only solution lies in changing the habits of the medical practitioners who are prescribing these medications and who started this

Nearly half of seniors do not take their medications when or how they were prescribed. There are mistakes on dosages, methods of delivery, time of delivery, what they should be taken with, and even if they should still be taken. Compounding the issue, most seniors over the age of 65 are taking between 8 and 13 different medications. Put these numbers together and it is no wonder that problems with medication management are one of the leading reasons seniors end up in the emergency room, and is the number one reason seniors end up back in the hospital after being recently discharged. According to a study published in "Pharmacotherapy", nearly 70 percent of hospitalized seniors suffered from at least one

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention 44 people die each day in the United States of America due to an overdose of a prescription painkiller (“Joining the Fight”, n.d.). A staggering 2.1 million people in the United States suffer from substance abuse disorders and the number of people using opioids for nonmedical uses is continuing to rise (Volkow, 2014). Who is to blame for these outrageous numbers? I believe that the patient and the pharmaceutical companies are to blame for this on-growing problem. Some of the largest contributing factors to these growing statistics is that the pharmaceutical companies have very aggressive marketing of the medicines, which in turn leads to a rising number of prescriptions written for

Would you believe me if I tell you that the number of deaths related to prescription drugs abuse has surpassed the number of deaths related to car accidents? In 2009, according to statistics from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug abuses accounted for at least 37,485 of deaths in America, doubling the number in the last decade. While most of these deaths are due to the abuse of opioid painkillers, excessive use of antidepressants and antibiotics have also led to many problems. Furthermore, overprescribing by doctors have contributed a huge part in promoting these deaths.

The United States is facing a growing epidemic of prescription opioid (PO) abuse, which contributes to increasing mortality rates. Opioids are opium-like medications used to treat severe and chronic pain. Prescription opioid drug abuse is the intentional misuse of opioids without a prescription or use of the medication in a manner other than it was prescribed, mainly with the sole purpose for euphoria. Within the United States, the rising abuse of opioids contributed to 14,800 deaths in 2008 which is four times more than the number of deaths from PO abuse in 1999 (CDC, 2011). These deaths were marked mostly as unintentional as opposed to suicide or unknown causes and continue to rise each year (Chakravarthy, Shah, & Lotfipour, 2012).

There are a variety of stakeholders that have influence over the abuse and exploitation of controlled prescription medication, some are supporters and some are opponents. All levels of government are aware of this epidemic and have a role to play in supporting the reduction of controlled substance abuse. According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1999 to 2009 the number of deaths from narcotic pills almost quadrupled to 15,597, more than the combined number of deaths of heroin and cocaine abuse. “A renewed focus on drug prevention is a major component of the Obama Administration's effort to implement a public health approach to reducing drug abuse and its consequences. Research shows that preventing drug use before it begins is a cost-effective, common-sense approach to promoting safe and healthy communities.” (Community-based prevention, 2012) The government can play a critical role

When I get older and advance in my career, I would like to be a Certified Pharmacy Technician. Pharmacy Technician is a health care provider who provides pharmacy related functions to people who need medication. We can also work for long-term facilities, third party insurance companies and pharmaceutical manufactures. A pharmacy technician job is never an easy job. Maybe one day I could even become a Pharmacist. A pharmacist is the person who writes prescriptions, knows what drug a client needs and can diagnose a person. Where on the other hand, a pharmacy technician works under them. We give out and sort the medication. A pharmacy technician cannot diagnose a patient. I plan to work hard and get my certifications to get to where they are so I will be able to diagnose people and have that title.

The American society has taken many steps in the positive direction to ease the pressure on local law enforcement by limiting the amount of opiates doctors prescribe to patients through a system called the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). PDMPs allow doctors universal access to patients drug prescription history to make informed decisions on their prescription habits. However, this system only works if the doctors use the system before writing a prescription. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, “Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) continue to be among the most promising state-level interventions to improve opioid prescribing, inform clinical practice, and protect patients at risk.” When doctors

The negative stigma surrounding opioid addiction is not only dangerous and harmful but promotes marginalization to the individuals who are carrying the burden of these negative labels. It can cause them to be misdiagnosed as well as be given improper treatment. (National Pain Report, 2015). In addition, it may discourage those individuals from seeking help. Narcan has been proven to be effective at reversing the effects of an overdose and has been credited in reversing 10,000 overdoses from 1996 to 2010. In Boston, Massachusetts police officers started carrying Narcan and were able to respond to 591 overdoses and reverse 491of them. (The Marshall Project, 2015) Narcan is slowly becoming available to be purchased over the counter. Rhode Island is one of those states, and it is imperative to disseminate this information to the people of Rhode Island. Lastly, a multidisciplinary approach addressing the further training of those at the clinical level and the criminal justice level. Physicians along with law enforcement will be required to complete education on overdose prevention, drug addiction, and the effects of the opioid antagonist Narcan. This action plan will arm the public with insight and further the knowledge of just how damaging the opioid addiction is, not only on a state level but a national and global level. Further, data and evidence will convince