Prescribed Painkillers for Relief or Recreation?

Millions of Americans take hundreds of thousands of prescribed pain relieving capsules or tablets daily for acute or chronic pain relief. Doctors differ on whether or not these medications are valuable or whether their addicting properties make prescribing them worth while. Scientists are searching for various methods to keep patients who are in chronic or severe pain, pain-free without addiction. They are searching for addiction resistant narcotics that will take away pain and not lead to more serious problems or misuse. More and more people are using pain medications such as Percoset, Vicodin or Oxycontin as their new drug of choice.

Patients who are depressed or anxious may suffer a greater chance of addiction, scientists told the National Institues of Health last week. They suggested that doctors be aware of patients who have these health issues and that they monitor those who are prescribed painkillers.

"Opiods are not dangerous if you know how to use them properly," claims Dr.Nora Volkow, Chief of NHI's Institue on Drug Abuse. "We need to develop the knowledge that maximizes our ability to use them properly."

In a study of college students done by The National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 49% of full-time students ages 18-22 abuse prescription pain killers for a rush or an addiction. These same statistics state that some of these students will binge drink also. That is drinking five or more drinks of alcohol at one session. These drugs are obtained legally or purchased easily on the street. In the study done from 1993-2005 the proportion of students who abused pain killers such as Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin rose by 300%.

"I think we have by any standard a very serious public health problem on college campuses and it is deteriorating swiftly," says Joseph Califano, head of the Center, and ex-Secretary of Health of The United States 1977 through 1979. Parents are warned to educate their children on the consequences of illicit use of pain medications and to keep watch over any medications which can be abused lying around the home.

Purdue Pharmacy has found the problem of abuse for prescription drugs issued for pain so great that they have issued a BIO Warning! This warning has been added to the drug OxyCodone hydrochloride. Part of the warning is as follows:

1.Tablets must be swallowed whole. These tablets must not be cut or crushed because of possible rapid release and or absorption of potentially fatal doses of OxyCodone.
2.This medication is not intended for use as a P.R.N. or as an analgesic, (used as an anti-inflamatory).
This Letter was issued on July 18, 2001 and sent to various health-care agencies.

One of the bright spots in the study shows that only a small percentage of people who are legitimately prescribed pain medications will ever become addicted to them.