Opioid epidemic continues unabated

[Angrboda]

https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/...mayo-study

Despite all the attention given to the opioid overdose epidemic in recent years — including the fact that the epidemic began with an increase in the prescribing of opioid drugs in the late 1990s — opioid prescription rates have remained flat among commercially insured patients for the past 10 years, according to a study published this week in the BMJ.

And among some groups of Medicare patients, the rate at which opioid prescriptions are being handed out by doctors is actually higher than it was 10 years ago, the study reports.

“Our data suggest not much has changed in prescription opioid use since about five years ago,” said Molly Jeffery, the study’s lead author and a health economist and health services researcher at the Mayo Clinic, in a released statement.

That’s a deeply worrisome finding, given the substantial role that legally prescribed drugs have played in the opioid overdose epidemic.

An average of 40 people die each day in the U.S. from a prescription opioid overdose — a number four times higher than in 1999.

The United States has the highest rate of opioid use in the world, according to background information in the study. The U.S. rate is 88 percent higher than in second-place Germany and seven times higher than in Great Britain.

[vorlon13]

Do cops kill (as in illegally) as many people in a year as opiates do in a day ??

[LadyForCamus]

I was prescribed oxycodone while pregnant.

[brewer]

I was prescribed oxycodone while pregnant.

What's your point? Details please.

[Aroura]

There is much transfer you in both directions. One of my girl scouts dad's was in a very bad car accident some years ago where he had a servere spinal injury. For years he could not walk at all and just recently he's found some water therapy that helps him. But he's in constant pain, and sure to doctors afraid to prescribe long term pain meds, he's been without for some time. Over a year now, at least. His family matches with signs saying their dad deserves quality of life! But I guess to many local docs are afraid of the long term consequences considering the epidemic. They don't look at his individual case.

[Brian37]

https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/...mayo-study

Despite all the attention given to the opioid overdose epidemic in recent years — including the fact that the epidemic began with an increase in the prescribing of opioid drugs in the late 1990s — opioid prescription rates have remained flat among commercially insured patients for the past 10 years, according to a study published this week in the BMJ.

And among some groups of Medicare patients, the rate at which opioid prescriptions are being handed out by doctors is actually higher than it was 10 years ago, the study reports.

“Our data suggest not much has changed in prescription opioid use since about five years ago,” said Molly Jeffery, the study’s lead author and a health economist and health services researcher at the Mayo Clinic, in a released statement.

That’s a deeply worrisome finding, given the substantial role that legally prescribed drugs have played in the opioid overdose epidemic.

An average of 40 people die each day in the U.S. from a prescription opioid overdose — a number four times higher than in 1999.

The United States has the highest rate of opioid use in the world, according to background information in the study. The U.S. rate is 88 percent higher than in second-place Germany and seven times higher than in Great Britain.

Nothing is going to get done as long as the GOP controls congress. Billionaires are far more important to them than public health.

[Angrboda]

There is much transfer you in both directions. One of my girl scouts dad's was in a very bad car accident some years ago where he had a servere spinal injury. For years he could not walk at all and just recently he's found some water therapy that helps him. But he's in constant pain, and sure to doctors afraid to prescribe long term pain meds, he's been without for some time. Over a year now, at least. His family matches with signs saying their dad deserves quality of life! But I guess to many local docs are afraid of the long term consequences considering the epidemic. They don't look at his individual case.

Pain management, particularly in the case of those suffering terminal illness, has a long way to go. Being invisible, it's often left up to the subjective judgement of the professionals involved who may be motivated by concerns wholly unrelated to the care of their patient. The big problem that I see is that corporations like McKesson are continuing to contribute to the problem by ignoring controls in place, and they are being abetted by the justice department which is basically doing nothing. Re-educating doctors is an important part of improving the situation, and that means helping them come to sound decisions when opioids are appropriate instead of largely avoiding them when possible. But another dimension of the problem is doctors who just don't care, as well as those illegally funnelling prescriptions to the black market. Neither problem is going to be solved until the administration and the justice department take these problems seriously, but it seems they have other priorities.

[LadyForCamus]

I was prescribed oxycodone while pregnant.

What's your point? Details please.

Just that it’s risky, as far as how easy it is to develope a problem.  There were definitely times when I was in so much pain (I had a kidney stone with a nephrostomy tube that required tube changes every two weeks) that I wanted to take just a little more than I was prescribed, and that urge was very hard to resist.  It’s a shame there isn’t something more effective and less addictive available.

[brewer]

There is much transfer you in both directions. One of my girl scouts dad's was in a very bad car accident some years ago where he had a servere spinal injury. For years he could not walk at all and just recently he's found some water therapy that helps him. But he's in constant pain, and sure to doctors afraid to prescribe long term pain meds, he's been without for some time. Over a year now, at least. His family matches with signs saying their dad deserves quality of life! But I guess to many local docs are afraid of the long term consequences considering the epidemic. They don't look at his individual case.

Jor mentioned it and I will also. He needs to find a pain management center that knows how to deal with chronic pain.

[Neo-Scholastic]

The problem IMHO is the increasing prevalence of cheap heroin. People with arthritis, fibro, and other chronic illnesses that cause debilitating pain are being denied effective treatments. Some people have been on Rx opioids for years without abuse.

Aroura, time to visit a specialist. My wife has RA and specialists have better insight than general practitioners and more confidence in their ability to justify more invasive and/or intense treatments..