...have died from drug overdoses,” and many more in the few years since (Understanding the Epidemic).Unless the United States Government places stringent regulations on the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, the opioid crisis, a significant health threat to Americans, will continue unabated. (Body One) The pharmaceutical companies lobbying of congressmen is one leading contributor of the opioid crisis that is currently plaguing the United States. Congressmen are...
Words: 1088 - Pages: 5
...Prescription drug abuse deserves renewed attention After watched the movie Shutter Island, it must be very easy catch such scenes that the lead hero who is acted by Leonardo DiCaprio always asks aspirins from doctors, either when he is seasickness or has a headache. Familiar scenes always emerge in lots of movies and TV plays. People all know that artistic creation is based on realities, and in fact, those scenes are not from scenarists’ imaginations. In the real world, typical cases of prescription drug abuse always manifest in three ways. Taking a prescription drug that is prescribed for others, taking medicine for reasons like feeling depressed, or overdosing than as prescribed. Abuse of prescription drugs could produce serious problems for people, especially worse in addiction. Because prescription medicine abuse is becoming a significant problem in the United States, the phenomenon has to be taken seriously. According to the survey of National Institute on Drug Abuse, the medicines which abused are broadly described as those targeting the central nervous system, including those used to treat psychiatric disorders. In 2010, approximately 7 million persons were current users of psychotherapeutic medicines taken not in medically (2.7 percent of the U.S. population). The situation must lead to awful outcome. Even if no one want to see the terrible result that not only people’s physical health be drowned in danger, people’ mental health and relationship are under threaten...
Words: 1101 - Pages: 5
...amount of abuse that shadows over prescription pain medication is staggering, it’s led to the standardization and DEA regulation of how much of a narcotic can be prescribed to an individual. If or when at all possible narcotic pain medication should be avoided and tightly regulated, because of the nature of such drugs, there is an extremely high risk of abuse and misuse. Public heath reports and studies...
Words: 780 - Pages: 4
...The opioid crisis has reached a fever pitch as Surgeon General Jerome Adams is on the record stating,"The call to action is to … keep within reach, know how to use naloxone.” on NPR’s Morning Edition. By issuing this advisory for more people to become familiar with the overdose-reversing drug Naloxone, the Surgeon General is acknowledging the fact that in many parts of the country use of Naloxone by first responders has become as ubiquitous as providing CPR. When considering pseudoscience, particularly C.P Snow’s focus the “gulf of mutual incomprehension” between the humanities and sciences, there is no better current example than how pharmaceutical marketing lead to the misinformation about opioid addictiveness, overprescription opioids, and...
Words: 1381 - Pages: 6
...Prescription Opioids Deanna Pannell Aurora University One of the growing problems in America is the abuse of prescription opioids. In the past 10 years, the misuse of prescribed opioids has gone out of control, making it a national issue that many people are attempting to attack. Prescription opioid use is increasing in public health, creating an epidemic that is growing rapidly. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse: opiates, depressants, and stimulants are the three drug classifications most commonly abused by Americans. A multitude of research on the subject has concluded that there is more than a single solution to the problem, such as taking immediate action as well as creating prevention strategies. I decided to do additional research on this topic since it plays a huge part in my career as well as personal life. Being a substance abuse counselor in the criminal justice field, I experience first-hand the effects of prescription opioid abuse. A large number of client’s participating in the TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities) are dealing with prescription opioid abuse due to an injury or surgical procedure. On April 25, 2015, my first cousin died from a heroin overdose at the age of 23. After a football injury, he was prescribed Hydrocodone and became addicted. Since the pills are too expensive, he began using heroin and his battle ended 5 years later. In 2009, 16 million Americans age 12 and older reported taking a prescription pain reliever...
Words: 1472 - Pages: 6
...Synthetic Opiods: A New Crisis In 1980, a letter printed in the New England Journal of Medicine would start to change everything. The letter insisted that addiction to these new drugs was rare, especially in those with no prior history of addiction. Slowly, physicians started prescribing more and more synthetic opioids to their patients, especially those looking to avoid riskier orthopedic surgeries for their chronic pain and those suffering from terminal illnesses. Medical professionals were able to feel good about their ability to help their patients avoid surgery and help them effectively (some for the first time) manage chronic pain. In the 90s, everything changed. There was a swift shift (fueled in a big way by pharmaceutical companies) away from the tentative, opioid-shy opinions of past medical professionals. A new way of thinking emerged in which managing pain became the first focus of treatment. The pain scale illustrations that we have all seen in countless doctor’s offices were produced and used as a first line of questioning in all emergency rooms, urgent care facilities, and doctor’s offices. OxyContin, thought by many to be the drug that started it all in regards to the current opioid...
Words: 1874 - Pages: 8
...H.R. 5590 – Opioid Addiction Action Plan Act: 115th Congress 2017-2018 There is a high level of opioid abuse in the United States that has reached epidemic proportions. According to the National Institute on Drug abuse (2018), “In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates”. Opioids are now easier to obtain than in previous years and treatment for opioid addiction is difficult to obtain. In addition, the cost of opioids “on the street” has significantly decreased. According to the United States Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (2017), heroin is...
Words: 1354 - Pages: 6
...employers are beginning to look at the possibility of stimulant abuse within their own company. Illicit drug abuse such as cocaine, adderrall, etc, seems to lend itself to a trend of increased worker’s comp claims involving incident and injury. One study shows that nearly 75% of all drug users are employed, as are most binge drinkers. “Alcoholism causes 500 million lost workdays each year (National Association of Treatment Providers, 1991).” Another study shows that seventy-three percent of all current drug users aged 18 and older (8.3 million adults) were employed in 1997. This includes 6.7 million full-time workers and 1.6 million part-time workers (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 1998). More surprising than this data set is the data collected during a national survey conducted by the Hazelden Foundation, more than sixty percent of adults know people who have gone to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol (Hazelden Foundation, 1996). There are two major categories of drugs: those that speed up bodily and mental functions, and those that slow them down. Stimulants such as caffeine, amphetamines, crack, ephedrine, etc; all speed up heart rate, metabolic rate and cognitive abilities. Depressants such as alcohol, and many times anti-anxiety medicines slow down motor skills, and prevent an over active central nervous system. Both used within the context of the original prescription can prove to be beneficial. Stimulants to treat conditions such...
Words: 1223 - Pages: 5
...ER ICA’ S PR E S CR I P T ION DRUG A BUSE CR I SI S 2 011 Background Prescription drug abuse is the Nation’s fastest-growing drug problem. While there has been a marked decrease in the use of some illegal drugs like cocaine, data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that nearly one-third of people aged 12 and over who used drugs for the first time in 2009 began by using a prescription drug non-medically.1 The same survey found that over 70 percent of people who abused prescription pain relievers got them from friends or relatives, while approximately 5 percent got them from a drug dealer or from the Internet.2 Additionally, the latest Monitoring the Future study—the Nation’s largest survey of drug use among young people—showed that prescription drugs are the second most-abused category of drugs after marijuana.3 In our military, illicit drug use increased from 5 percent to 12 percent among active duty service members over a three-year period from 2005 to 2008, primarily attributed to prescription drug abuse.4 Although a number of classes of prescription drugs are currently being abused, this action plan primarily focuses on the growing and often deadly problem of prescription opioid abuse. The number of prescrip tions filled for opioid pain relievers—some of the most powerful medications available—has increased dramatically in recent years. From 1997 to 2007, the milligram per person use of prescription opioids in the U.S. increased from...
Words: 5145 - Pages: 21
...The current opioid epidemic is flowing through America and crippling Ohio’s youth. According to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) an average of 11 people die per day in Ohio of heroin related causes alone, such as overdoses or infections from dirty needles. The crisis causes over 4,000 deaths per year. While some say that opioids are needed in medicine as a painkiller, they aren’t the only one on the market. As painkillers, opioids are very effective, but they are not necessary; other plants such as marijuana are also great painkillers, along with the fact that they do less damage to the liver and kidneys. A nurse from Akron Ohio tells her story of how she got addicted to opioids and overcame the common disease known as drug addiction. Although...
Words: 681 - Pages: 3
...Honest Deception---Regulating Placebo Treatment to Address Painkiller Abuse in the United States Introduction When highschooler Eric Schulz arrived home on an average day, he did not expect to discover his father lying dead on the floor. The cause was morphine overdose. Like many others, Lee Russell Schulz, former father and husband, became addicted to painkillers after losing his job (Mintz). Decades of survey data published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration show that painkiller addiction rates among the unemployed are three times as high as among those with stable careers (“Table 1.22A”). Addressing this issue is especially urgent now. While the number of people diagnosed with opioid addiction from 2010 to 2016...
Words: 1011 - Pages: 5
...strategies include a reduction in the amount of prescription opioid given out by providers, thereby reducing diversion. Another approach is to increase public educational awareness with campaigns on opiate addictions. He will be expanding drug treatment and recovery centers. Lastly, he plans on providing Narcan Kits to the public ("Opioid Epidemic," n.d., p. 1). Statical data for opioid overdose and death provided by The Injury and Violence Prevention branch of the DHHS, these data will be used to test the effectiveness of the Opioid...
Words: 1032 - Pages: 5
...Most Commonly abused drugs and their effects. 1. Alcohol- With over half (52.5%) of U.S. population identified as drinkers, alcohol is the #1 abused substance in America. An estimated 135.5 million people drink alcohol, but of those people, 86 million are considered to be abusers, which include heavy drinking, binge drinking and underage drinking. Twenty-three percent of the population participates in binge drinking (59.7 million) and 6.5% of the population reported heavy drinking (17.0 million). An estimated 81.4% of people who drank alcohol for the first time were younger than age 21 at the time they started drinking, and 9.3 million underage people aged 12 to 20 were current drinkers. Short term effects of alcohol include: * Slurred speech * Drowsiness * Relaxation * Feelings of pleasure * Distorted vision * Impaired judgment and slowed thinking * Decreased perception and coordination * Unconsciousness * Blackouts (memory lapses where the drinker cannot remember events that occurred while under the influence) Long term effects of alcohol include: * Liver failure * Brain damage * Sexual dysfunction * Fetal alcohol syndrome and other birth defects during pregnancy * Stomach ulcers * Malnutrition * Weight gain * Risk of cancer in the mouth and throat * High blood pressure * Increased risk for stroke and heart-related diseases * Tolerance and physical dependence * Addiction 2. Tobacco-...
Words: 4399 - Pages: 18
...As stated by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders American Psychiatric Associate. (2014), “similar to the risk generally observed for all substance use disorder, opioid use disorder is associated with a heightened risk for suicide attempts and completed suicides”. The assessments that were given showed that Marifel was at a high risk of suicide, the family showed a history of drug addiction (based on the genogram), and Marifel was willing to accept and accomplish the therapy based on her PTSD that was determined, drug abuse, and suicide. A diagnosis concerning the mental state could not be evaluated based on the information that was given however, there is the suspicion that a mental health disorder could be given. This will be accomplished after the client has had further evaluation from other health care persons. This will be performed on the client because there may have been a possible brain injury or biological disorder that has developed in the client. Peoples whose brains do not function properly often show problems in psychological functioning (Lewis, T. F. 2014). Furthermore, other problems that may be associated to the client may be nonadherence to medical treatment (v15...
Words: 2705 - Pages: 11
... All English Department, faculty members and Staff. The section of Four Hope 2012-2013 for assisting in the collection of the topics for the chapters. Most especially to my family and friends and to God, who made all things possible and make me confident to this. TABLE OF CONTENTS * ACKNOWLEDGEMENT * CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A.) Statement of the problem B.) Importance of the study C.) Scope and limitation D.) Definition of terms * CHAPTER II DISCUSSION A.) How does depression increase the risk for suicide? B.) Why do men commit suicide more often than women do? C.) How do alcohol and other drug abuse increase the risk for suicide? D.) How suicide goes from ideas to action? E.) How to prevent suicide? * CHAPTER III SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY CHAPTER I Introduction:...
Words: 7512 - Pages: 31
