Effects Of The Opioid Crisis  

There is an epidemic in our country killing thousands of people a year, (National Institute on Drug Abuse, March, 2018). It is not a contagious disease, virus, or infection, but a class of addicting deadly drugs. Whether someone first acquired these medications after a minor surgery, or went straight to the streets to buy them illegally, they are just as dangerous. The opioid crisis is wreaking havoc on our country, healthcare professionals, patients, the families of addicts and those who have died from a drug overdose and of course those afflicted with addiction themselves. The government is taking action by passing laws to prevent the over prescribing of these drugs and many people, both citizens and politicians alike, are relying on being able to easily access and use Narcan, a life-saving antidote for opioid overdoses.

The opioid epidemic started in America during the 1990s when pharmaceutical companies started to increase the supply of painkillers, claiming that they would relieve pain and were not addictive. Because of this, doctors started to prescribe these medications much more frequently. The number of prescription pain killers that were sold to pharmacies skyrocketed in just eleven years. By the time medical professionals realized how dangerous and addictive these drugs truly were, it was too late. Thousands of individuals already started to abuse and overdose on these medications, (Christensen, n. d. ). Since then, the opioid crisis has spiraled downward. In just six years, opioid overdoses increased by 14%, (National Institute on Drug Abuse, May, 2018). It has gotten to the point where now nearly everyone has known or knows someone whose life has been touched by addiction. In addition to overdoses, addiction to opioids also has a negative effect on this country in that drug addicts are more likely to commit crimes, often due to not being in the right mindset and needing money for their drugs. “Crime analysts say another factor, at least on a national scale, appears to be showing signs of driving violence: the expansion of illicit drug markets brought about by the heroin and synthetic opioid epidemic,” (Madhani, 2018). Looking at the effects drug use has had just on crime rates and death rates the opioid crisis is clearly having a profoundly negative impact on the United States of America. Another way the opioid crisis is affecting the country as a whole is that the crisis is very costly for all levels of the government. This is due to a variety of things that the opioid crisis has now made necessary. such as medical care for the negative effects opioids have on the body, medical care for babies born addicted to opioids.

There is also the cost of counseling services, social services, and law enforcement services. This is not to say we should not pay for these now necessities, however it is another example on how negatively the opioid crisis is affecting America. The healthcare profession has been heavily affected by the opioid epidemic. Doctors are much less likely to prescribe pain medication than they would have been ten years ago in the same situation due to fear of being sanctioned if they do not follow new opioid restriction laws. Healthcare professionals are now afraid of getting arrested for prescribing too many pain medications however, at the same time they now have to deal with angry patients if they can not prescribe pain medications. Due to how common drug seeking is in healthcare now, doctors often have their guard up, causing them to quickly assume that the majority of patients are addicts or could become one if given pain medication. To avoid opioid use as much as possible, there is now a huge emphasis on using over the counter pain relievers such a Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Advil, ect. instead of painkillers which also have their downsides when used long term and are not always as effective. The opioid epidemic is also using up hospitals’ resources. “Emergency system resources, already on overload, are further taxed and drained by the increased 911 calls for overdose incidents. This means that instead of responding to heart attacks, strokes, or other emergencies, first responders are spending time stabilizing overdose patients and taking them to hospitals,” (Karsala, 2018). So even when doctors do everything they possibly can to limit opioid use, they still have to deal with the effects of opioid abuse and overdoses on a regular basis. This causes even more frustration for healthcare professionals. They are desperate for a change however everyone seems to have a different opinion on how to improve this awful situation. Another part of the health care associated with the opioid crisis is the rehabilitation services offered for addicts.

Currently there are three main options when pursuing treatment for opioid addiction. There is a long term inpatient program where a person stays in a residential medical facility for six to twelve months focusing on weaning these patients off of opioids, then providing intense treatment such as counseling, focusing on socialization, and even getting set up to get a job eventually so when they are all done with the program their life is somewhat together. The other option is similar, it still requires the patients to stay in a residential facility but for a much shorter amount of time usually lasts three to six weeks. This option is just as intense as the long term option just more condensed and uses the twelve step program that was originally designed for alcoholics then they strongly recommend patients using outpatient programs such as more counseling and attending AA meetings. The last option is going straight to an outpatient treatment program, this option is often chosen because it is the least expensive and rehabilitation programs are often not covered by insurance. This option however, is not always as effective and requires a strong support system. The rehabilitation system is not perfect however particularly due to its expense however law-makers are making great strides on trying to fix this. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, January 2018)Just like healthcare professionals, patients- especially those with chronic pain- are also dealing with the impact of the opioid epidemic. Unlike healthcare professionals however, people tend to pay less attention to and be less sympathetic to those with chronic pain dependent on opioids. “But amidst this chaos, the voice of a large population has been lost. What’s regularly missing from the news cycle is how the opioid epidemic is impacting the 100 million Americans living with chronic pain,” (Gazani, 2018). Chronic pain patients who need opioids to control their pain are now dealing the judgment from both the medical community and their peers. They are often falsely assumed to be addicts, or are criticized for being on pain medications. Many of the opioid restricting laws in place that can prevent chronic pain patients exempt these restrictions for those with cancer.

As for chronic pain however, the doctor has to use their own discretion of whether or not to continue to prescribe opioids. On top of dealing with judgment and criticism they also have to deal with pain if their doctor or pharmacies refuse to give them the medications they need. This leaves patients in excruciating pain and no help. However, It’s not just chronic pain patients who are affected within the patient population. The opioid crisis is making it so that even patients who have surgery or are injured are not always receiving adequate pain management. For example, my grandpa who is 79 had a hip replacement. This surgery caused him a lot of pain but his pain was properly managed with opioid medications while in the hospital. However, when he was sent home the doctors did not want to send him home on heavy duty pain medication because of protocols that are now in place due to the opioid crisis. So he was sent home with a opioid not nearly as strong as the ones he received in the hospital. As a result, he could not sleep for days due to horrible pain. He suffered unavoidable pain for an entire week until he visited his surgeons office who finally agreed to give him a stronger pain medication so the pain would be tolerable.

The opioid crisis is not just causing a great deal of physical pain but a great deal of emotional pain. Thousands of families are left grieving their children, parents, and siblings. In some cases, family members may not even be aware that their loved one struggled with drug use or addiction. In those cases it can be particularly shocking and can cause even more guilt and anger. Even those who were aware of their loved ones drug abuse struggle immensely. (Aparecida da Silva, 2011)It is not just the families of those who were killed by an overdose that are in a great deal of emotional pain.

The families of addicts who are still alive suffer as well. In some cases addiction is passed down through the family which can cause a great amount of guilt. Another problem families often face is that their relative is hiding or hid their addiction which prevented them from getting help. Addicts can often be so addicted to opioids that they would do anything to get them. This can often cause families to kick out their relatives due to having money stolen or feeling unsafe. In many aspects having a family member who is addicted to opioids is devastating. There is also a very unfortunate situation that affects families due to the opioid crisis. This situation is when a pregnant mother abuses drugs and her baby is essentially born addicted to opioids as well. This situation is extremely common. Every 19 minutes a baby is born addicted to opioids in the United States. Babies who are born addicted to opioids have to go through withdrawal and endure countless symptoms as a result. These symptoms may include vomiting, convulsions, fevers, and more. These symptoms are brutal and often land babies in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). In addition to this, the parents of the baby may not be able to take care of the baby due to their addiction, now burdening their family members to take care of their babies. (The Tragedy of Opioid Addicted Babies, n. d. )

The United States government is taking steps to solve the opioid crisis to ease the pain and suffering it is inflicting on everyone. The legislation the government is working on focuses on not only making opioids harder to get but also offering more readily available support for addicts. In order to make help easier to obtain for addicts, one legislation included making it so that Medicaid will cover methadone clinic visits and appointments. These clinics could help addicts to safely wean off of opioids. They also passed a bill so that medicaid would cover 30 days of treatment for those struggling with opioid addiction. (Kaplan R, 2018)In addition to making resources available for addicts to overcome their addiction, law makers are also taking steps to restrict the accessibility of opioids. One way they are doing this is by having protocols in place in certain states that restrict the length of time a patient who has acute pain (such as pain from a surgery or injury) to anywhere from three days to a week depending on the state, (Harvard Health, 2018). Some states even passed laws that restrict the dosing a patient can be prescribed. “ In a few cases, states also set dosage limits (morphine milligram equivalents, or MMEs),” (Blackman, 2018). While many laws are focused on helping addicts on preventing addiction there are also laws in place to help addicts if they overdose using a drug called Narcan which is essentially an antidote for opioid overdoses. So that no matter where you are or who you are you could, in theory you could administer this life-saving medication.

There was even a poll conducted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts that revealed 7 out of 10 Residents believe Narcan should be available in the workplace, (Pr News Wire, 2018). Some police officers have even started to carry Narcan on them. The result of having more people carry Narcan and making it more accessible has saved many lives. While reducing deadly overdoses is a main goal, it does not fix the underlying problem. As mentioned earlier, many people are supportive of the use of Narcan. However, some people think that addicts make the decision to take dangerous amounts of drugs and often not seek out help. Therefore Some people do not think that the wide use of Narcan is helpful. One point is that if Narcan is extremely available addicts have less potential consequences when abusing opioid drugs because if they overdose they could be saved by Narcan. Then there is the financial and economical strain of acquiring so much Narcan. Prices of Narcan have doubled since 2014 making it a challenge for the government to fund the accessibility of this life-saving medication. It seems as if big Pharma has decided to increase the cost of Narcan since it is now being used so frequently. The skyrocketing in price is making it so the demand for Narcan is much higher than the supply that is affordable.

So while this medication save countless lives is it worth the cost and are we going to be able to keep up with it. (Daily Beast, 2016)Those who are most directly affected by the opioid epidemic are the addicts themselves. Each and every single person who is or has been addicted to opioids are human, no different than anyone else. Except their minds and bodies have been overtaken by powerful drugs. A medical student who wishes to remain anonymous, who never drank or had a history of drug abuse, became hooked on stimulants after just one pill he took to study for an exam. He hid his addiction throughout medical school, but got caught writing prescriptions for himself while he was already practicing as a doctor. He managed to overcome his addiction but it still had an extremely negative effect on his life. Even though in this case this person was not addicted to opioids, but stimulants it still demonstrates how almost anyone can become addicted and it can get dangerous for themselves and the people around them. (Physician Health Services, 2018)Overall, The opioid crisis is wreaking havoc on our country, healthcare professionals, patients, the families of addicts and those who have died from a drug overdose the families of addicts, and of course those afflicted with addiction themselves.

The government is taking action by passing laws to prevent the over prescribing these drugs and many people, both citizens and politicians alike, are relying on being able to easily access and use Narcan, a life saving antidote for opioid overdoses. This is a horrible crisis but one that many people are working tirelessly to solve. While this is yet another devastating problem in America, we are strong and smart and though it might take time, we will address and defeat this crisis just like we have done with many other past problems in America.