America’s Prescription Drug Abuse is too Deadly to Ignore

Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston – all famous and towering personalities – and, all of them done in by the scourge of prescription drug overdose.

Presley died of a heart attack, one that was brought on by a bevy of prescription drugs such as codeine, morphine, valium and Demerol. Heath Ledger, after completing his legendary performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, was found dead by his housekeeper. His death occurred by ‘acute intoxication’ brought about by as many as six different prescription drugs namely OxyContin, Valium, Xanax, Restoril, Unisom, and Vicodin. Michael Jackson, the ‘King of Pop’ died from an addiction to propofol, an intravenous anesthetic, and Demero, a painkiller. Whitney Houston’s death was precipitated by the combined effects of alcohol and prescription drugs.

They aren’t the only ones. And if America’s drug prescription abuse epidemic is anything to go by, one would need to be wary about FDA-approved pharmaceutical drugs that are easily available in the market today.

America has a drug problem. And it is bad.

Source: Rehabs.com

But why does Prescription Drug abuse happen?

According to a Congressional testimony on drug abuse, 2.1 million people are suffering from substance use disorders, directly from the use of prescription drugs. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

We take a look at this issue from all possible angles.

• The Science Angle

Let’s turn to science (specifically human biology) for this one. Drugs such as morphine, heroine, codeine and methodine are all derived from opium, a highly addictive and destabilizing drug itself. All these derivatives are also referred to as prescription opioids. These drugs, though diluted in their prescribed forms, affect the human brain in the same way like heroine or morphine does. They are addictive and that makes them prone to abuse. Especially, when an increasing quantity of people on prescription start using them for non-medical purposes. Instead of being used to treat or allay a medical malady, these drugs are used for the express purpose of feeling euphoric or ‘getting high’. If people take them in ways that they are not originally prescribed for, adverse medical reactions occur. We haven’t even touched on the withdrawal symptoms yet, which is an entirely big issue altogether.

This can occur if:

• People take more of these pills, in a concentrated form.
• People take a number of different medications at the same time with no regard to the combined effects of the drug cocktail they’re brewing.
• The delivery method of these drugs is tampered with, with everything from nasal, smoked or intravenous routes.

• Marketing by Big Pharma

Human biology isn’t sorely to blame for this state of affairs. Shoddy marketing practices have their own place in this sorry saga too. Pharmaceutical companies have a well-oiled marketing machine and distribution network in place and that exacerbates the problem to a greater extent. There’s a vigorous focus on direct to consumer marketing, intense lobbying efforts, the connections they have with doctors and hospitals, and more. All these factors ensure that this system of consumers-driving-the-pharmaceutical-markets chug along and that the problem of prescription drug abuse stays unchallenged.

Source: Opensecrets.org

• Accessibility

Then there is the biggest issue of them all – the easy access to these drugs. The easier it is to get, the more prone to abuse these drugs are. We see places of learning serving as de facto drug dens. We see parties becoming a meeting ground for drug suppliers and willing customers to make money change hands.

Source: Drugfree.org

Sociological factors also play a major role. As a society, we have become accustomed to instant gratification. Prescription drugs serve as the ultimate fix. Students think that they can help them prepare for exams in a stress-free way. Soldiers returning from war aboard need something to help forget their experiences on the battlefield. And the list just goes on.

Source:Drug Addiction Hotline

It’s no wonder then that the rising number of prominent Hollywood stars who fall victim to drug abuse are not alerting people to the dangers of substance abuse. This issue has turned into a Hydra-headed monster, with politics, money, society and culture influencing an average medical patient into becoming an addict. The pressures and the deadlines at work and the constant stress to fit in amongst one’s ‘cool’ peers, these are some of the things that can push a person into the bad, bad world of prescription drug abuse.

Deaths by Drug overdose in US States

How Medical Surveys can help in Controlling Prescription Drug Abuse?

Medical costs are skyrocketing due to a multitude of socio-political-economic factors. The amount of public health benefits are being scaled back all over the world. Concurrently, there’s an increase in people with lifestyle illnesses i.e. diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, etc.

In light of this, employers around the world are faced with a pertinent question –

‘How to provide effective medical benefits whilst, at the same time, promote workforce health amongst employees, and all this while keeping costs down?’

This is where medical surveys come in handy. Healthcare insurers and state health providers can avail data that puts them in a better position to manage medical costs in the future. For example, in 2013 alone, medical costs rose as much as 7.9% and companies with advance knowledge of this were better poised to serve the need of their employees better. These surveys can also determine what kind of prescription drugs are common to which region, illustrating the gravity of the problem across societal and demographical factors. Having access to that knowledge ensures that stakeholders can formulate well-being programs and insurance plans that address the most common medical issues of the time.

As they say, the first step towards recovery is to admit that you have a problem. There is expert medical help available that can help you understand how to wean off or avoid the menace of drug abuse that cripple lifestyles no matter which segment of society you belong in.

As they say, being forewarned is forearmed.

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