The abuse of opioids in the United States is a problem that has been observed in recent decades. In 2017, it was characterized by President Donald J. Trump as the opioid crisis affecting the public health. The use of opioids in the context of pain management adopted in healthcare facilities depends on the effectiveness of these painkillers to address chronic and acute pain and avoid its recurrence (Stoicea et al., 2019).
However, the problem is that the prescription and use of opioids can potentially lead to drug misuse and addiction (Nicol, Colquhoun, & Brummett, 2019). Although opioids have been effectively used in the US healthcare for many years, the problems associated with over-prescription of these drugs and their abuse have led to the opioid crisis, and the purpose of this paper is to discuss its causes, consequences, and possible solutions.
The opioid crisis is the situation currently observed in the US healthcare and viewed as a public health issue related to the increased rates of opioid dependence disorders and overdose deaths reported in the country in recent years. According to Nicol et al. (2019), “opioid drug overdoses killed about 72,000 Americans in 2017,” and “1 in every 25 adults … regularly uses prescription opioids” (p. 16). The causes of the opioid crisis discussed by experts include the activities of the manufacturers of medications, like Purdue Pharma (Childers, 2019).
Additionally, the problem is in the over-prescription of these drugs by physicians, which is supported by the Big-Pharma industry. One more cause is the lack of effective control over the distribution of these risky products (Argento, Tupper, & Socias, 2019). Still, governmental agencies do not provide a direct answer to the question about the causes of the opioid crisis.
If the opioid crisis in the US is not resolved, the number of deaths due to the overdose of opioids will increase in association with the availability of medications. The major negative consequence of the opioid crisis is the increasing drug addiction among Americans because of the popularity of opioids to be used in both healthcare and home settings (Argento et al., 2019; Childers, 2019). State and local governments require many resources, including financial ones, to address the problem.
The recognition of the crisis in 2017 has led to authorities’ and researchers’ activities oriented toward finding solutions to the problem. One of the first steps was filing lawsuits against the manufacturers of opioid drugs to receive resources to support communities and contribute to public health promotion (Childers, 2019).
Another solution is related to financing state and community rehabilitation programs to support opioid addicts and educate individuals and healthcare providers regarding the risks of using these medications (Argento et al., 2019; Stoicea et al., 2019). Additional research is required to understand how available and alternative pharmacotherapy can be utilized instead of opioids and address the drug use disorder.
Although the use of opioids is viewed as an effective means of analgesia, the abuse of these medications, along with other factors, has led to the crisis in the US. The determination of the causes of the problem, as well as the analysis of the role of drug manufacturers in the process, is important to emphasize effective solutions. Much attention should be paid to controlling the use of opioids in healthcare settings, developing alternative approaches to pain management, preventing overdose episodes, and treating current opioid drug addicts.
References
Argento, E., Tupper, K. W., & Socias, M. E. (2019). The tripping point: The potential role of psychedelic-assisted therapy in the response to the opioid crisis. International Journal of Drug Policy, 66, 80-81.
Childers, T. (2019). The opioid crisis: The states’ and local governments’ response to bigpharma’s deception and why the supremacy clause may provide a cloak for opioid manufacturers to hide behind. Barry Law Review, 24(1), 59-77.
Nicol, A. L., Colquhoun, D. A., & Brummett, C. M. (2019). The more you know: Identifying factors associated with inpatient mortality related to opioid overdose can drive progress in the opioid health crisis. Anesthesia and Analgesia, 128(1), 16-18.
Stoicea, N., Costa, A., Periel, L., Uribe, A., Weaver, T., & Bergese, S. D. (2019). Current perspectives on the opioid crisis in the US healthcare system: A comprehensive literature review. Medicine, 98(20), 1-8.