Pain killer abuse/addiction in Indiana
Every third or fourth adult in the world suffers from some form of chronic pain. US government statistics reveal that ten percent of Americans are affected with pain that lasts for over a year. Millions of people suffer pain so severe that it is disabling. There are about six million patients who are under extended opioid therapy for pain relief. Opiods are chemical substances that have morphine like action, affecting the central nervous system and the gastro-intestinal tract of the body. They are primarily administered for relieving pain.
People who legitimately require pain-relieving therapy for conditions like pain after childbirth, after surgery or chronic pain due to other reasons are put under long-term treatment involving prolonged use of painkillers. Such people are also prone to becoming addicts to painkilling medication. Once they get hooked, many forge prescriptions, order pain killing medications from websites or even resort to stealing such medicines from the family medicine cabinet.
Oxycodone, morphine and hydrocodon are three most common pain relieving medications prescribed by doctors for their effectiveness. They are also drugs preferred by drug abusers as they are fast acting and affect the body's pleasure centers. Oxycodone is commonly known as Oxycontin and hydrocodon as Vicodin. All the three are prescription pain medications and are responsible for a major part of painkiller abuse in the country including Indiana. Available data indicates a 500% increase in the use of Oxycontin over the last seven to eight years. Use of morphine and Vicodin has also spiraled by 223% and 166% respectively during the same period.
Painkillers have a stimulating effect on opiate receptors in the brain and give a feeling of ecstasy to the user much like that provided by heroin. This induced sense of false happiness or 'high' is what makes people become addicts. When a person addicted to pain killers tries to kick the habit he is faced with withdrawal symptoms similar to those faced by drug addicts and is therefore forced to continue taking the medications in order to avoid the pain associated with stopping intake of painkillers.
However it is encouraging to note that only a minuscule number of patients who are prescribed powerful painkillers like Vicodin, morphine or Oxycontin etc. and monitored well are likely to ever become dependant on them to the extent of addiction. Expert medical specialists opine that opioids are not at all dangerous if one follows the dosage prescribed.
At the same time the fact remains that prescription drug abuse is on the rise. This remains true also for the state of Indiana. A national survey involving high school seniors finds about ten percent of them admitting to the use of Vicodin for non-medical purposes. More recently it has been found that there have been 2.2 million pain killer abusers aged twelve years and above, within a one year period ending March 2007. This is more than the number of new marijuana users. Close to half a million people have received treatment for painkiller abuse within the same time frame. Researchers are trying to come up with new versions of painkillers that are abuse resistant. At the same the Indiana government and various NGOs are making efforts to educate people to gain conscious control over painkiller use.
Every third or fourth adult in the world suffers from some form of chronic pain. US government statistics reveal that ten percent of Americans are affected with pain that lasts for over a year. Millions of people suffer pain so severe that it is disabling. There are about six million patients who are under extended opioid therapy for pain relief. Opiods are chemical substances that have morphine like action, affecting the central nervous system and the gastro-intestinal tract of the body. They are primarily administered for relieving pain.
People who legitimately require pain-relieving therapy for conditions like pain after childbirth, after surgery or chronic pain due to other reasons are put under long-term treatment involving prolonged use of painkillers. Such people are also prone to becoming addicts to painkilling medication. Once they get hooked, many forge prescriptions, order pain killing medications from websites or even resort to stealing such medicines from the family medicine cabinet.
Oxycodone, morphine and hydrocodon are three most common pain relieving medications prescribed by doctors for their effectiveness. They are also drugs preferred by drug abusers as they are fast acting and affect the body's pleasure centers. Oxycodone is commonly known as Oxycontin and hydrocodon as Vicodin. All the three are prescription pain medications and are responsible for a major part of painkiller abuse in the country including Indiana. Available data indicates a 500% increase in the use of Oxycontin over the last seven to eight years. Use of morphine and Vicodin has also spiraled by 223% and 166% respectively during the same period.
Painkillers have a stimulating effect on opiate receptors in the brain and give a feeling of ecstasy to the user much like that provided by heroin. This induced sense of false happiness or 'high' is what makes people become addicts. When a person addicted to pain killers tries to kick the habit he is faced with withdrawal symptoms similar to those faced by drug addicts and is therefore forced to continue taking the medications in order to avoid the pain associated with stopping intake of painkillers.
However it is encouraging to note that only a minuscule number of patients who are prescribed powerful painkillers like Vicodin, morphine or Oxycontin etc. and monitored well are likely to ever become dependant on them to the extent of addiction. Expert medical specialists opine that opioids are not at all dangerous if one follows the dosage prescribed.
At the same time the fact remains that prescription drug abuse is on the rise. This remains true also for the state of Indiana. A national survey involving high school seniors finds about ten percent of them admitting to the use of Vicodin for non-medical purposes. More recently it has been found that there have been 2.2 million pain killer abusers aged twelve years and above, within a one year period ending March 2007. This is more than the number of new marijuana users. Close to half a million people have received treatment for painkiller abuse within the same time frame. Researchers are trying to come up with new versions of painkillers that are abuse resistant. At the same the Indiana government and various NGOs are making efforts to educate people to gain conscious control over painkiller use.
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Information on this page last updated on 09/17/2007