One of the keys for addressing our opioid crisis could be you. Every day in the U.S., 95 people die from a prescription opioid overdose. Could you, your relative or friend become one of the 95? Every day, 3,500 people are hospitalized or treated in the emergency department due to an opioid issue.
Opioids reduce pain or the feeling of pain, gives you a feeling of pleasure, excitement, well-being and happiness. But opioids can also be addictive. Some opioids come from the opium poppy plant (codeine and morphine), some are produced (oxycodone, hydrocodone), some are illegal (heroin) and some are obtained by a prescription (Oxycontin, Vicodin).
Many efforts are underway to address the opioid crisis ← requiring doctors to check the state’s registry for a patient’s use, limiting the amount of pills that can originally be given, providing guideline and rules for prescribing, providing more treatment options and better enforcement. But don’t expect doctors, therapists and government to do everything. A key in the prevention of more opioid overdoses could be you.
About half of the prescription pain medicine abused or misused was obtained from a friend or relative. Are you securing your pain medicine from friends and relatives?
Surgery patients receive a prescription for opioids 99 percent of the time. Do you need a narcotic after every surgery or are other options for pain available? If you do need a narcotic, do you need it for more than a few days?
Opioids are more difficult now to buy on the street or to steal. Heroin is much cheaper than most opioids. So those addicted to an opioid are often using heroin, which is often mixed with a more potent chemical, fentanyl. Hence, overdoses are increasing. More than 80 percent of the heroin addicts did not started with heroin, but with a prescription opioid.
I personally have some strong feelings about the use and abuse of prescription opioids. Please allow a few examples.
A few years ago after hip surgery, I asked for a prescription for six Vicodin tablets, in case I had much pain after going home. After arriving home, I noticed the prescription was for 50 tablets with one refill. Doctors and other health care providers often want patients to be happy and pain free, but 50 tablet with one refill is over-kill, unnecessary and dangerous. I made the decision not to get the prescription filled.
My wife recently had surgery with much pain afterwards and was taking some opioids. At a follow-up visit, when asked about concerns for addiction, the surgeon replied that if my wife had pain and took the narcotic when she was having the pain, there was no way that she could become addicted. WRONG! Correct information is not always given by even the professionals. So my wife made the decision to cut back.
Last example ← my son was addicted to narcotics and was receiving treatment at a pain clinic. He was on a replacement opioid for years but apparently was not instructed or encouraged to taper or cut back. My son died a few years ago at the age of 35 from an apparent, unintentional opioid overdose. Opioids kill individuals and harm family and friends.
We have an opioid crisis. Do not expect doctors, therapists, more money, enforcement and government to completely solve the problem. Your help is needed. How? Ask ← Do I really need a narcotic for every pain? Are there other non-opioid options for the pain? Am I willing to take the risk of becoming addicted? If currently prescribed an opioid, do I need to take it for more than a few day? Do I keep my narcotics in a secured location?
You make the final decision of whether an opioid is appropriate for you. It’s your health, your brain, your future, your life, your decision. You can and must play a key role in the prevention of more addiction and overdoses from narcotics. You just might save a life – maybe yours or a loved one.
