Assisgnment 16- Nick Joseph

Vikes, happy pills, barbs, reds, phennies, zombie pills, hillbilly heroin.  These are all slang terms for powerful painkillers that can be deadly when misused. 15,000 Americans die every year at the hands of these prescription painkillers.  That’s 42 lives wasted each and every day.  The sad truth is that many of these people do not consciously choose to abuse drugs.  In many cases, the fault is not theirs, but rather their doctor’s.  The over prescription of painkillers is an epidemic comparable to illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine, both in the industry and the harmful effects.  It wastes money, ruins health, and decreases quality of life.

            As with so many controversial topics in the world today, money is often a major influence.  According to the American Center for Disease Control, the number of prescription painkillers sold to pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors’ offices increased by a multiple of four between 1999 and 2010.  This happened for two reasons.  The first is known as pill shopping.  This is when pill addicts go from doctor to doctor, getting prescriptions from all of them.  Due to the lack of a centralized medical system, doctors have no idea what prescriptions a new patient has previously been prescribed.  This allows addicts to quite easily get their hands on pills.  In addition to this pill shopping, some doctors intentionally overprescribe painkillers.  It is believed that these doctors do this so patients will keep coming back.  When people believe they are sick, they will seek out more medical care.  More doctor visits translate to more money for doctors and their practices.  In fact, according to the CDC, $72.5 billion dollars are spent by healthcare providers on nonmedical painkillers every year.  This comes back to harm clients, as insurance companies compensate by jacking up their premiums.

In addition to costing all parties involved money, this epidemic ruins health.  While drugs such as Fentanyl and Valium are beneficial when prescribed by a trained clinician to patients that need them, these drugs often fall into the wrong hands.  According to the CDC, roughly half a million emergency room visits in 2009 were due to people misusing or abusing prescription painkillers.  Additionally, 12 million Americans above the age of 12 reported the nonmedical use of painkillers in 2010.  When painkillers are misused, an entire host of problems can present themselves.  These drugs can cause constipation, breathing problems, slurred speech, and even death.  Addicts often appear tired and older.  The addiction can escalate to the point that it is all an addict will think about they cannot work, enjoy life, or be a productive citizen.  In fact, there are stories of people ripping out their own teeth in an effort to obtain painkillers.  The sad truth is even if painkillers do not kill you, your quality of life will decrease drastically.

Even worse than direct health effects, painkillers can take a toll on a person’s quality of life.  First and foremost in this list of problems is the development of dependency.  It does not take much for a person to get hooked on a powerful drug.  These people will then do almost anything to get their hands on more drugs.  Even worse is tolerance.  This is when an addict is so used to a drug that they need a larger and larger quantity of the drug to even feel its effect.  This combination of dependency and tolerance traps addicts in a lethal cycle.  They pay more and more for drugs (that will ultimately harm them) all while their quality of life drastically decreases.  They become lazy and unwilling to work.  All of their time and energy is consumed by their addiction.  This ever-lasting pursuit of expensive drugs means that a person cannot work.  This pushes them further and further in poverty.  In addition to the financial impact addiction can have, it can also have a mental impact.  According to The Scientology Handbooks, people addicted to painkillers have a higher likelihood of developing diseases such as chronic depression.  Painkillers have the potential to influence all aspects of life.           

Now don’t get me wrong, I recognize the value of painkillers when used responsibly, but there is no reason a patient who underwent a minor surgery (having a tooth pulled) should be prescribed two months of painkillers.  When drugs like these are overprescribed, bad things are bound to happen.  The abuse of painkillers wastes money, ruins health, and decreases quality of life.  The root cause of this problem is not in the use but rather in the prescription.  I urge you to talk to your doctor about any medication you are prescribed.  When people take an active role in their healthcare, they not only better understand what they are putting into their body, they decrease the likelihood that their doctor will take advantage of them.  Again I am in no way saying that we should get rid of painkiller, in fact I wholeheartedly recognize their vast benefits.  I am, however, advocating for more oversight of the industry, both by insurance companies and patients.  One thing’s for sure, if we ignore the pressing problem of misusing painkillers, the problem will progress to the point where it will be much too hard to control it.  Trust me, I’m a doctor.