Opioid addiction is the biggest drug epidemic in the United States. A rise of pain killer prescriptions from providers and a pharmaceutical industry eager to boost sales, sparked a wave of this addiction that shot up by almost 500 percent in the last 15 years. The numbers are staggering. Almost half-a-million Americans have died in the last 15 years from an overdose, and the majority of those involve opioids. On average, 91 Americans are still dying every single day.
With the rates going up and people loosing their lives on a daily basis to these drugs, the question is: “Why do we still come across so many prescriptions for opioids, especially in low income neighborhoods?
In a CNN exclusive on March 12, 2018, there was the story of Angela Cantone, mother of three, whose doctor kept prescribing Subsys (fentanyl sublingual spray). When she spoke up to him, he refused her any alternative pain medication for her Crohn's disease, it was opioids or nothing. It was later discovered that this doctor made over $200,000 prescribing Subsys to his patients. In 2014 and 2015, opioid manufacturers paid hundreds of doctors across the country six-figure sums for speaking, consulting and other services. Physicians who prescribed particularly large amounts of the drugs were the most likely to get paid.
We can go on talking about the dangers of opioid use and consequences of addiction which will be endless. As a Ministry, our focus is to educate as much as we can. Fighting opioid abuse is not for the victims alone, there is a shared responsibility, which begins with the prescriber, the pharmacist and lastly the patients (victims).
Physicians should start their patients on non-addicting pain medications and employ evidence-based screening tools for non-medical use of prescription drugs in routine medical visits.
Patients should follow directions as explained on labels or by the physician or pharmacist. Never stop or change dosing regimens without the physician’s knowledge. Most common misuse is sharing prescription medication with friends or family. And learn to store medications safely.
For the pharmacist, some times the work load could prevent them from identifying falsifications or alterations, but being watchful on their end can serve as the first line of the defense for this epidemic.