Pain makes us do things we wouldn’t normally do. It can alter our mood, change our perception, and cause depression. For anyone dealing with chronic pain, the natural reaction is to find a way to lessen the pain, even if that means doing something drastic.
More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and 25 million experience acute pain as a result of injury or surgery. (1) Still, many of these people do not feel they are able to get relief from their chronic pain. Either the medications and treatment they’ve tried haven’t worked, or they haven’t even sought out help.
Painkiller Abuse
When some people do find relief in the form of prescription painkillers, they are so overcome with the feeling of relief that they want to continue taking the pills, even at a dangerous level. Not only that, but many prescription painkillers are addicting and cause a feeling of euphoria, which also leads to abuse and addiction. For these reasons, someone who is being prescribed painkillers known to cause addiction, such as OxyContin or Vicodin, must be warned of the potential for addiction and be monitored closely for signs of abuse.
Not all people who are on prescription painkillers abuse them or are dependent on them, but the rate of prescription abuse is increasing. In 2008, more than 36,000 people died from drug overdoses, and most of these deaths were caused by prescription drugs, and more than 12 million people reported using prescription painkillers nonmedically in 2010. (2) All it takes is one injury or illness, and the person can be hooked for life on the meds that are prescribed.
Abusing the System
Managing chronic pain is important because without relief, a person’s mental health can easily suffer. Pain clinics are much more common today than they were 10 years ago, and there are many doctors that specialize in properly treating pain, which results in happier, healthier patients. All too often, however, patients who are addicted to the painkillers find it easy to refill prescriptions, or to get extra pills from different doctors, or order additional pills on the Internet. There are many doctors and pill mills who are willing to sell prescription painkillers, even without a valid prescription, and the ease at which people can get painkillers adds greatly to their abuse.
Doctors and pharmacists need to be extremely diligent about filling prescriptions, and do all they can to stop those who are getting pills just to feed their addiction. Many states are working on developing databases that track prescriptions for all patients at all clinics and hospitals. These monitoring databases alert authorities when a person is doctor shopping, or finding other ways to get more pills. Pain should be managed in a responsible, effective way, and patients and doctors alike need to be more aware of the dangers of prescription drug abuse and work to prevent it from happening.
Sources
(1) The American Chronic Pain Association
