Morphine, Heroin and the Prescription Drug Crisis in America - Why?

Morphine, heroin addiction and prescription pain medicine addiction is a serious health care crisis in this country. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that 9 million people use prescription drugs for non medical purposes. This statistic does not even include patients who are taking pain medication for legitimate health problems.

In 2001, the deaths from prescription drug use exceeded the deaths for illegal drug use. SAMHSA estimates that 3 million of these abusers are young people between the age of 12 and 17 years.

To understand this health care crisis, we need to review the history of morphine and heroin addiction in this country. By reviewing the history of these two drugs, you will understand why we have a crisis. You need to also understand how physicians have played an important role in the abuse of prescription drugs.

The history of morphine drug addiction:

Opium drug use existed for centuries in China and other countries. Morphine is one of the alkaloids derived from the opium poppy. Morphine was introduced to America by the German Sertumer and Company in 1817. This product derived from opium was advertised as a analgesic and solution for opium and alcohol addiction. Pure opium was also brought over by the Chinese immigrants. Opium drug dens were part of our early history. I am sure the Chinese were aware of the addicting properties of Opium but was an accepted part of their culture. I doubt the first Americans who took the drugs realized they would become addicted. Once they did know it was not a crisis because drugs were readily available, cheap, and unregulated. In fact drug kits with syringes were sold freely until the early 1900's. Drug use was not considered a problem and drugs were even given to children in cough syrups.

Morphine did not become a nationwide problem until the Civil War in 1861 and the invention of the syringe. Morphine was the drug of choice to treat gravely wounded soldiers. It is estimated there were 400,000 addicted soldiers. It was used correctly by physicians to begin with. The proper usage of Morphine is in the treatment of severe injuries; severe pain associated with surgery, cancer, car accidents and burns and to relieve the pain of dying patients. The problems began when doctors began prescribing morphine to housewives to lessen depression, anxiety, and pain. This was clearly misuse because of its known potent addictive properties. By the late 1800s, morphine became such a worldwide addiction, that a remedy was being researched for this man made addiction crisis.

How heroin was introduced and pushed as a "cure" for Morphine Addiction;

It seems that physicians did not learn much from their experience with morphine addiction. In looking for a Morphine addiction cure, German scientists from Bayer introduced heroin in 1895. It was sold to American physicians as a safe, non-addictive substitute for morphine. I question why heroin was so freely prescribed considering their experience with morphine. Both drugs were introduced by the Germans with false advertising. The American physicians did not question the validity of the heroin being safe, they just started prescribing it freely. I just can't understand why you would believe information from a country who had lied to you about the first drug that had created a national crisis? It took heroin just 16 years to join morphine as a national health crisis. The interesting factor here is that heroin was not a different drug. Heroin was a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from Morphine. Why would you think that heroin coming from morphine would be safer?

The introduction of Cocaine:

Cocaine from the coco plant was also discovered by the Germans in 1855. In 1879 it was used in the US for morphine addiction and as a pain reliever. The original Coca Cola formulation in 1886 contained Cocaine. It was in 1906 when the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed that Cocaine was removed from Coca Cola. In the early 1900's Cocaine was banned as well by the Harrison Act in 1924.

I think its interesting to note that our first three addictive drugs were all discovered and touted with false advertising by German pharmaceutic companies.. Today Germany is the main country pushing prescription drug use down our American throats. German pharmaceutical companies possess some of the greatest power in world drug sales. In Germany today, most herbs are sold as drugs and regulated by the German government. The German pharmaceutical companies have been working for years to make herb use in America regulated as it is in Germany already.

The black market drug trade and how it was created:

By 1914, Morphine, Heroin, and Cocaine addiction had created a national drug problem that could not be contained. All three drugs were made illegal with the Harrison Act passed in 1914. There were 44 clinics at that time left to treat heroin addicts. The treatment did not wean them off the drug, just allowed them to buy the drugs legally. These clinics were kept open until 1924. . It is estimated that there were 200,000 heroin addicts by 1925.

Unable to control the heroin clinics, the government shut down all the clinics in 1924. So after years of sanctioned drug use, these patients were then put into the legal status of criminals who had to obtain the drugs illegally. This gave rise to the underground black market drug industry including the mafia. I think it is sad, that these patients who were first given the drugs by their physicians were then turned into criminals with no recourse. There were no treatments available for detoxification.

In researching this subject, I felt that readers should understand the hell that patients go through trying to break the addiction of Morphine and Heroin. Many people reading this article may have never tried drugs. I haven't and it is difficult to understand drug addiction. After my telephone interview, I had a much greater understanding of the problem. Devastating withdrawal symptoms begin within hours of a missed dose. The withdrawal symptoms rack the whole body with sweating that soaks the sheets; headaches like the worst hangover imaginable; intense pain in every part of the body; tremors and cold sweats; agitation and anger; nausea and vomiting; diarrhea and abdominal cramps; throat constriction at times making it difficult to even swallow water; dehydration from the vomiting and diarrhea. These horrific withdrawal side symptoms go on for sometimes as long as a week to two weeks. The psychological need for the drug goes on for months and years. It is a constant gnawing that puts the addict on edge and affects everything he tries to do. Memory and brain function is affected as well. Many never conquer this addiction. As a health counselor, I choose not to work with drug addiction. I felt that is was a problem that was better treated by other professional counselors. The man I interviewed by phone gave me great insight into drug addiction withdrawal and I better understand how a majority of patients stay addicted.

A Modern day personal story of created legal drug addiction.

This personal story was reported to me by a man I interviewed by telephone. He called me for help and advice. He suffers from diabetes and neuropathy of the feet. Neuropathy of the feet is extremely painful and his physician could not find any medicine to correct his medical condition. Alternative medicine was not even considered by his Medicaid doctor. He was prescribed Lyrica for the pain in his feet. The Lyrica did not work and messed up his ability to function but his doctor left him on the drug. The pain in his feet made it impossible to perform his job, so the physician prescribed Morphine for the pain in his feet. The morphine was effective but turned him into a drug addict dependent on the State Medicaid system.

Now 4 years later, this sick patient was kicked off the Tennessee State Medicaid program this past December. They sent him a letter at Thanksgiving telling him, he made 25 dollars too much to qualify and that his medical services would end just after Christmas. He appealed was but denied further services. This is a man who even with insulin shots runs a blood sugar of 400 with his diabetes and suffers from painful neuropathy of the feet. To buy the pain killers by prescription without Medicaid would cost several hundred dollars a month. His wife works and he works when he is able but they do not make enough money to buy the pain killing prescriptions privately. This man and hundreds of others were kicked off the Tennessee State Medicaid system this past year because the state budget is out of money for free or low cost medical programs. In most of these cases, these legally addicted sick patients were not offered a withdrawal program to wean them off the prescription drugs.

Why was this man not given one of several drugs to help him withdraw from these pain killers before he was kicked out of the system? Once they were on a list to be terminated from the state program, these patients should have immediately been started on those drugs to help them withdraw from the morphine. Morphine withdrawal is so horrendous that it is never advised ever to go cold turkey at home without the supervision of a physician. These legally addicted sick patients have no choice now. Their withdrawal symptoms and inability to afford needed medications will take from the ranks of the employed to complete disability, and in some cases turn them into black market and illegal drug users.

There seems to be a ethics problem in modern medicine.

Physicians seem to have no ethics when prescribing these drugs even when the pain level does not warrant its use. The physicians and the system then wipe their hands of the consequences they have created by over prescribing pain medication drugs. It is the patient who suffers, being basically thrown to the lions. Low cost detoxification programs are out of money and private detox clinics cost thousands of dollars.

There are alternative methods such as acupuncture which work on many kinds of pain, but the state and private insurance companies will not pay for the treatments. Instead they pay physicians to prescribe addicting drugs to alleviate pain, turning patients into addicts. A good majority of these addicted patients are war vets, victims of car accidents, surgeries, cancer, burns, and diseases.

Is this responsible health care management? Is this how we should treat our own people here in America?

Why will the insurance system pay for addicting drugs but will not pay for alternative therapies such as acupuncture to relieve pain naturally without addicting side effects?

Why are antidepressants given out like aspirin creating more addicted patients and children?

Why are children here are is the US prescribed more drugs than in any other country in the world?

The answer is money, power, and greed! The government and the pharmaceutical industry make money off these drug sales. Trillions of dollars in profit go into pharmaceutical and government pockets. Who loses? You do.

What is the answer? It's not easy or simple.

It is up to you to turn down pain killers and antidepressants that cause addiction and explore alternative therapies.

It is up to you to refuse to put your toddlers on ADD drugs and Ritalin when there are natural alternative therapies that work.

It is up to you to stand up to your physician and school when they try to force your teenagers to take Prozac and other anti-depression drugs. Seek holistic therapies for depression first. There are holistic physicians and therapists that can give you guidance and help.

Just because your insurance pays for the medicine does not mean it is good for your health.

Do extensive research on your health problem before agreeing to a treatment. When a physician wants to put you on a medicine, research its side effects and toxic affects first yourself.

If the medicine treats arthritis but destroys your liver, is that a good solution?

Consult your pharmacist about the drug to see is there are less toxic alternatives that can be prescribed instead. Tell him about the other drugs you are taking to see if there might be problems with increased side effects. Remember your doctor is educated by the drug reps and that is a problem.

Research on line for law suits that the drug may be involved in. Many drugs have been recalled because of life threatening side effects and deaths. You will find that information on the Internet.

Explore your options other than drugs. Experiment with alternative therapies before you use prescription drugs. Drugs should be the last resort after you have tried less toxic alternatives.

References:

_{www.samhsa.gov/}

_{http://www.drugs.com/morphine.html}

http://www.clearhavencenter.com/addictions-research/additional-substances/morphine/

_{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphine}

_{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin}

_{http://www.narconon.ca/morphine.htm}