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Albuquerque, New Mexico – April 19, 2015 – A new study just out shows that medical painkillers are even a bigger problem than was previously thought. According to the study, which was conducted by the University of New Mexico, one out of four of five patients misuse prescription drugs and painkillers, and an addiction to the pills was found in one out of every ten or eleven patients. The patients were all given narcotic painkillers as a treatment for chronic pain they were suffering.
The review analyzed data from 38 published studies. Of those studies, 35 of them were conducted in the United States. The highlights of the study were published in this month’s issue of the journal Pain. The study has brought to light an issue that many people have been talking about for years. Questions regarding the tradeoff between the benefits of narcotic painkillers and the risks of using them have been a subject of heated debate over recent years. There are many risks associated with them, including the most common problem – misuse. Researchers said that prescriptions for painkillers have risen sharply in the past fifteen years, and in addition to patients misusing them, they also suffer from issues such as dependence, withdrawal, and overdose.
A spokesman from the center Counseling for a Better life Dynamic Directions (CBLDD.com) confirmed what the researchers had to say. “We see more and more people now asking for help after becoming addicted to painkillers given to them as prescriptions,” he said. “People shouldn’t have to risk addiction to eliminate chronic pain.”
And the researchers agree. They were quoted as saying, “If it is accurate that approximately one in four patients using an opioid displays patterns of opioid misuse, but not addiction, than perhaps more efficient targeting of abuse and treatment resources would be of benefit.” In other words, if someone requires prescription painkillers to help with chronic pain, perhaps they would be well served by some counseling, treatment and monitoring to ensure that the misuse of the drug doesn’t develop into full blown addiction.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is weighing in on the issue, too. This past Wednesday, they announced that they had drafted the final rules for drug manufacturers who seek to have tamper-resistant, narcotic drugs approved. The new rules say that manufacturers will have to conduct studies on the new drugs to prove to the FDA that they can’t be altered in any way that could make them into illegal drugs. “This guidance is one of the many activities being taken by the FDA to address opioid-related overdose and death,” said Dr. Douglas Throckmorton during a news conference the deputy director of regulatory programs at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
About CBLDD.com : Counseling for a Better Life Dynamic Directions is a valuable resource for people struggling with substance abuse and addiction issues. The online directory and help line offers confidential assistance with finding local substance abuse treatment and therapy centers, as well as providing a wide range of educational papers and articles for addicts, people in recovery and their families and loved ones.
Release ID: 79882