We’ve most likely all heard a reference to the opioid epidemic in America, but how are these prescription drugs affecting people and how are they so easily getting into the wrong hands?
The opioid epidemic originated in the 1990s when pharmaceutical companies promised the medical providers that opioids weren’t addictive when the opposite was true.
Due to this hollow promise, medical professionals started prescribing opioids for pain relief for their patients not thinking that the collateral damage would be a large percentage of addicted patients and billions of dollars of government spending in the long run. Opioids can be legally prescribed pain relievers, or synthetic and deadly opioids called fentanyl or heroin. A study in 2018 showed that 128 people die daily in the United States from opioid misuse which costs $78.5 billion yearly for all associated costs.
Opioids are a big part of our daily lives and with hundreds of people dying each day due to them, there needs to be an alternative solution for pain relief and pain management. Before we can work to combat the problem, we first need to understand why the opioid problem is so severe, what effect they have on the body, and why Physicians nationwide are prescribing them in such large numbers.
About 21-29 percent of individuals who were prescribed opioids by their doctor to treat the pain associated with chronic pain misused these drugs. Here’s why: when an individual ingests an opioid, the role of the opioid is to block the neurotransmitter pain receptors in the brain, prohibiting the pain sensation in the brain, leaving the person to feel a sense of calm and happy. So, the body builds an understanding that opioids equal no pain; that’s why it’s easy to understand how a lot of people become addicted to the feeling from the drug.
After your body builds up a dependence on the drug where you’re left feeling like you can’t go a day without an opioid, you can suffer serious withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking them. That’s why one of the key problems that need to be addressed when combatting the opioid crisis is the focus on making sure that patients don’t get over-prescribed or have endless prescription renewals where they can develop a bad habit.
Opioids have the ability to create a feeling of euphoria in patients, which is an intense feeling of happiness or excitement that becomes an addictive feeling to individuals who become dependent on these drugs. It’s important for patients and physicians to be vigilant about the negative side effects that can potentially be life-long before prescribing and ingesting this drug.
In addition, both Physicians and patients need to be more aware on the addictive tendencies that can be associated with prescription drugs and take steps to monitor the use and number of prescriptions that are given out each year. Patients who complain about significant pain levels should be given additional options for treatment and pain management like Physical Therapy, where they can work to address the underlying issues.
With plenty of other alternative pain management options available, why are so many Physicians prescribing opioids and compounding the crisis?
Opioids are typically prescribed to patients who are experiencing dental pain, back pain, or injury-related pain. The most common opioids we hear being prescribed after a surgery or injury are OxyContin, Vicodin, Fentanyl. When taken as properly prescribed, opioids will reduce pain associated with the injury sustained. Part of taking these prescriptions properly is also following the recommended doses and effectively weaning off of them when the prescription has been used up.
If these drugs are abused the long-term effects can develop into heart or lung infections, serious muscle pain, or addiction. The negative side effects are enhanced and can be fatal if the patient misuses them or mixes them with current medications or diseases, causing a dangerous interaction.
As the number of patients who are addicted to opioids and prescription drugs continues to grow, individual states and governments are trying to determine the most effective way to deal with the crisis.
Opioids act as a depressant to the central nervous system after surgery, so that the patient is not overwhelmed by pain and an overstimulated nervous system. In 2018, opiates were prescribed over 168 million times to patients — in just one year!
What’s not written in the fine print before ingesting an opioid is the slippery slope it can take you down. In many cases, Physicians aren’t even informing their patients about the potential side effects or downsides that can come from using opioids and/or highlighting the addictive nature with them. They simply prescribe them to their patients and then let them go with the assumption that the patient will use them responsibly.
Around 75 percent of people who have an addiction to opioids switch to heroin use due to the cheaper price. In 2018, 81,000 people tried heroin, a synthetic opioid for the first time, resulting in 15,349 deaths due to overdose. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that in 2018, 10.3 million people misused opioids, meaning they either ingested too much or took their pills longer than they were prescribed. In the same year, 47,600 people died from opioid overuse.
The overuse and misuse of prescribing and ingesting opioids has left America in a state of epidemic and is calling for everyone to pay careful attention to his addictive pattern caused by opioids. This epidemic not only affects individuals and their loved ones, but also affects individuals socially, emotionally, and economically.
Opioids can have a massive impact on our daily lives. As we’ve mentioned, initially the pain relief they provide will subside and patients need a stronger solution to the chronic dependence or pain they’re attempting to alleviate. Unfortunately, this means that patients develop an addiction that can only be met with stronger opioids or more harmful drugs. In addition to the addictive tendencies that can drastically impact a patient each day, it also has a significant effect on the mental state and stress for each patient.
Opioids and stress can rewire the brain in a variety of ways. As more patients become stressed and their mental state is impacted by their use of opioids, it can impact others. In other words, opioids and the changes they can cause also impact others through in-direct or sometimes direct methods based on the interactions those individuals have with individuals who are addicted to opioids to alleviate their pain.
As opioids continue to impact our lives, individuals who suffer from pain should consider alternative treatment methods like Physical Therapy which not only help to target underlying issues but also cost significantly less.
Physical Therapy should be an option for individuals who are looking for alternative pain alleviation and management options. New research has indicated that Physical Therapy can help lessen the need for prescription drugs and decrease healthcare costs over an extended period of time for patients who are suffering from chronic pain.
Physical Therapy can be an alternative treatment method for individuals who are seeking effective pain relief. Learn more about all the ways in which Physical Therapy can help you alleviate pain and Book an Appointment Today at one of our hundreds of clinics across the country to connect with a licensed Physical Therapist.
