What Are Your Views on the “Pill Epidemic”?
Question by Ginbug: what are your views on the “pill epidemic”?
I am just looking for opinions in general about how people feel about pain pills. With the so called pill epidemic the majority of info on this subject is very negative and alot of times wrong. here are some more detailed questions that I have:
1. do you think docs. are over or under prescribing these drugs?
2. do you believe drugs like oxycontin should only be given to people with fatal illnesses like cancer?
3. do you believe that chronic pain patients are the same as addicts and therefor should be treated as such?
4. do you believe both docs. and pharms. should be libel for anything that goes wrong?
5. do you believe pain patients should have the same rights as all other patients or be forced to give up both privacy and rights just because they take these types of medicines? lastly
6. what is the difference between a chronic pain patients that may have to take pain meds. for the rest of their lives and a diabetic that will have to take insulin for the rest of their lives?
Thanks
5 days ago
Best answer:
Answer by Laaz
1. Too general a statement. Some overprescribe, some get it just right, some underprescribe. Varies a lot by country too.
2. It’s not only terminal illness that’s painful. If pain is affecting someone’s life to such an extent that they cannot work, live and prosper, just making them suffer like that when there is relief is tantamount to torture. Many people use the likes of Oxycontin for short periods (doesn’t mean it’s going to be lifelong).
3. Chronic pain patients can become addicts. This is why it’s important to have a good doctor-patient relationship at the level of general practice… to make sure that the patient isn’t becoming tolerant and needing ever-increasing amounts of opioids. Also, to make sure that every other avenue is being pursued in order to provide pain relief. Psychology is very important, as are other drugs such as amitriptyline and gabapentin (which are not opiates but are good for neuropathic pain where opiates have very poor effect).
4. Blaming the health professionals for things that ‘go wrong’ is a double-edged sword. While yes, irresponsible practice and prescribing indiscriminately deserves recognition, there is also a patient involved… patients have free will and if, for example, they want to source opiates from multiple providers or store up their opiates and take too many at once (overdose) despite being informed not to, then you cannot blame a pharmacist or a doctor…
5. Pain patients have the same rights as any patient… I’m not sure what you mean by this. There is no difference.
6. The difference is that a diabetic will die from no insulin, whereas a true chronic pain patient will risk a life almost ‘not worth living’ if in severe pain and getting no relief. Also, both the doctor and the patient have to be aware of the risks of tolerance and dependence on certain pain-killers and plan pain management together in order to provide the best relief while avoiding addiction as much as possible. Insulin doesn’t have the ‘addiction’ aspect.
In US, an Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse – http://www.youtube.com/user/ESLVOA2?sub_confirmation=1 http://learnenglishworld.com.
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