Are we facing an “opioid epidemic”?

We’ve already acknowledged a reported over-reliance on prescription medication here in the U.K., with fears of an “opioid epidemic” in America creeping across the pond to our shores as well. Unless, it’s already here…

In what’s being described as an “epidemic” and a “crisis” in the U.S., opioids are apparently being used way too much, leading to serious and needless addictions whilst reportedly lining the pockets of the super-rich pharmaceutical corporations.

We look at this growing problem and comment on why we ought to be concerned.

An “opioid epidemic”

It’s reported in the U.S. that opioid companies are paying physicians millions of dollars to push their products. One statistic suggested that one in 12 doctors had received money from “pharmaceutical” companies marketing opioid medication. The worry is that too many doctors are effectively being “paid” to supply the medication in abundance, and it can trigger an unbreakable chain of events.

Once the drug is used, patients can easily become addicted to it; going back for more and more, and therefore lining the pockets of the opioid suppliers. If this widely-reported news is true, we here in the U.K. should be worried given that we’re already seeing a reported “over-reliance” on both prescription and over-the-counter medications.

It’s got to the point where this “epidemic” is leading to massive lawsuits in America where classes and States are effectively suing wholesale suppliers of the drug. One of the concerns raised is that the reported benefits of the products are being pushed whilst the drawbacks (like addictions) are being severely downplayed.

In fact, legislation is being considered that would actively curtail what is being described as “opioid abuse”. The government are recognising there is a problem, so at least something is being done about it.

In the U.K., we need to be careful!

There is a known over-reliance on prescribing drugs to solve all sorts of problems here in the U.K. Whether it’s down to a lack of funding leading to doctors taking the “easy route” of passing pills to patients to absolve their suffering, or because drugs can be far cheaper than other courses of treatment nowadays, we need to keep a close eye on the “opioid epidemic”.

The last thing we want here in the U.K. is doctors overprescribing opioid medication to keep costs down, leading to thousands becoming addicted like we are reportedly seeing in the States. Whilst in America part and parcel of the problem is the money that’s reportedly exchanging hands between pharmaceutical companies (who aggressively market their medications) and the doctors who then “push” their products, we have to carefully consider the cost issues we face here in the U.K. with a struggling public health system.

Think about it: do we spend potentially hundreds or even thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on physical therapies to help one patient suffering with back problems, or do we dose them with opioids to relieve the pain and keep it at bay?

The damning truth may be that a struggling publicly-funded healthcare system simply cannot afford the costs of treatment when compared to medication, so this is why we cannot take our eye of the ball on this epidemic possibly crossing the oceans and reaching our shores.