As the nation watches the results of a landmark case with some of the nation’s largest prescription drug manufacturers, it is easy to see that no decision is going to make everyone happy. Giving the profits from the verdict of a national drug case settlement to the victims who sued the company is one consideration, but there is also another option. Some of the parents who have lost children to opioid epidemic want not just the money, but an admission of guilt. Finding a solution that matches the problem, however, is a challenge. Opioids. provide many benefits to a number of patients if they are used correctly. Making the case to the judge that it is the user’s abuse and doctor’s misuse of these drugs that are the problem, pharmaceutical companies are struggling to find the road to helping patients who need this medications, while at the same time helping a nation deal with problems of widespread abuse.
Politicians and medical professionals are looking for a national road map that does not just look at one incident in isolation, but also problems with alcohol and heroin addiction and the problems that these chemicals cause the entire nation. Heroin withdrawal and oxycodone withdrawal is a real issue in some large cities. And while there are some places in the midwest that have escaped these problems, there is one indicator that cities with high number of retirees may be experiencing more problems. When more of these drugs are legally distributed, it can be a real problem when unused medications are given to others or sold for a profit. Holding a pharmaceutical company responsible for what happens when these medications are used the wrong way is obviously problematic. Pharmaceutical developments may stall if companies have to be wary of the misuse of the products that they create.
Heroin Withdrawal Is a Serious Problem for Some Large Cities
The nation’s drug problems hit some cities much harder than others. At the same that over the counter drugs can help fend off the most serious side effects of a heroin overdose, there are paramedics who are finding that addicts are getting high in pairs. One addict is shooting up, while the other is close by with the over the counter solution and ready to call 911. The two addicts then take turn. Strange situation indeed, but it only makes sense that some would argue that making the drug affordable and over the counter may indeed be leading to increased heroin use. And while it is important to provide users with heroin withdrawal medications, what good are these products doing if the addicts simply return to their habits a month, a week, or a day later?
Parents of children and spouses of loved ones who have lost their lives to drug addiction and overdose point to the fact that changes to government recommendations and aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies have led to a dramatic increase in the last three decades in oxycodone prescriptions for long-term use in patients with chronic pain. Finding a way to regulate the availability of these drugs to a person who may become an addict is a real concern. So, too, is the possibility that without these drugs there would be many who would suffer because they do not have access to responsibly using these products.
Heroin withdrawal is dangerous and scary condition, but the solution is one that cannot be solved by a single pharmaceutical court case or one type of over the counter prescription. It will obviously take an entire nation focusing on access to rehabilitation services to find any path to success. It will require the focus of both the medical community and government officials.
Dealing with addiction is never easy, but America is currently dealing with a situation that is moving well beyond individuals and families. When large cities cannot keep up with the number of calls for overdoses, there are concerns. And when national numbers of drug overdose deaths continue to rise in some pockets of the country, the nation has a problem. It is a problem that will not be easy to solve, but it is a solution that must be found.