Prescription painkiller overdoses claim 44 lives in the United States every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such overdoses top the list of deadliest injuries for Pennsylvanians, even surpassing car accidents, according to the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
Much of this crisis is related to prescription opioid pain relievers (opioids). Medications that fall within this class include hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin), oxycodone (e.g., OxyContin, Percocet), morphine (e.g., Kadian, Avinza), codeine and related drugs.
While opioids have an important role to play in pain management, dependence, addiction and overdoses are a growing concern throughout the nation and in our communities. Education and prevention are crucial to fighting this epidemic.
Understanding Addiction
According to the CDC, more than 1 in 4 patients with chronic pain experience opioid dependence. Dependence means that you need the drug to function normally and stopping the drug can cause withdrawal symptoms. A person may have a physical dependence on a substance without having an addiction.
Addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), can include physical dependence and is distinguished by compulsive drug seeking and use despite sometimes devastating consequences. More than 2 million people in the United States are addicted to prescription opiates, according to The World Health Organization. Tolerance to a drug (needing a higher dose to attain the same effect) is usually part of addiction.
Many people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. Often, it is mistakenly attributed to moral weakness or a lack of willpower. But growing evidence shows that neither is true—addiction is a complex disease that causes significant changes in the brain. Plus, a family history of addiction, mental health issues and other chronic issues can put a person at higher risk.
There’s also growing evidence that drug abuse and addiction that starts with prescription painkillers can lead to illegal drug use. According to NIDA, nearly half of young people who inject heroin reported abusing prescription opioids before starting to use heroin. Some individuals reported taking up heroin because it is cheaper and easier to obtain than prescription opioids.
A Difference Locally
As a community, we must work together to protect lives. Over the past few years, state government, professional groups, physicians and hospitals have been actively engaged in a coordinated response to prevent addiction, better treat those who are opioid dependent and prevent overdose deaths.
These actions are being reflected in changing doctor-patient relationships. You may notice that physicians, dentists and other healthcare providers ask more questions about your pain, recommend alternative medications for pain control, or take other actions to prevent the nonmedical use and abuse of prescription narcotics.
For instance, PinnacleHealth Medical Group is taking steps to help halt the opioid abuse epidemic. These efforts include conducting drug screenings during patient appointments, performing pill counts during appointments to ensure patients are taking drugs as prescribed, permitting only patients with photo identification to pick up prescriptions, and requiring patients to sign a controlled substance agreement if taking an opioid for more than 30 days.
Patient education about steps such as these and why they are being taken is an important part of a successful relationship with your physician and other members of your healthcare team. More importantly, open communication between patients and providers is a cornerstone of medication safety, particularly in preventing opioid abuse. Never hesitate to ask questions or voice a concern.
Patients that are taking opioids are encouraged to talk with their provider about how often they are taking their opioid medication and why they may be taking more than prescribed.
Working Together
Drug addiction is a preventable disease. According to NIDA, prevention programs involving families, schools, communities and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse.
For young people, studies show that their drug taking does decrease when they understand it to be harmful. Therefore, it’s up to all of us to help young people understand the risk of drug abuse through education and outreach.
But drug abuse can affect anyone at any age. Therefore, our obligation for education and frank discussion extends well beyond our youth. Medical professionals, hospitals, teachers, parents, community leaders and others must continue to encourage careful use of prescription painkillers and advocate for prevention of drug abuse in both young people and adults.
Michael A. Young is president and CEO of PinnacleHealth System, one of TheBurg’s community publishers.
