Lynn Evans: Drop boxes part of prescription drug abuse battle

The Centers for Disease Control calls it an epidemic. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety calls it Mississippi’s No. 1 drug threat. Prescription drug abuse is killing men and women from all walks of life. The CDC reports that the deaths of women from prescription drugs has risen most dramatically: about 400 percent since 1999. Marshall Fisher of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics estimates that 90 percent of the 206 drug overdose deaths in this state in 2012 were due to the abuse of prescription narcotics.

Prescription narcotics, especially opioids such as Oxycontin and hydrocodone, are almost always prescribed for chronic pain — but medical science now shows that opioids are not a reliable treatment for noncancerous chronic pain. In other words, they mask but do not stop the pain.

The CDC reports that the sale of opiate pain relievers has increased by 300 percent since 1999. In 2008, there were more U.S. deaths from opiate pain relievers that from cocaine and heroin combined.

The misuse of prescription painkillers cuts across all social strata and is becoming as big a public health problem for people in the prime of life as heart disease and cancer. The CDC estimates that for every death due to prescription painkillers, there are 32 visits to the emergency room, 130 people who are addicted users, and 825 people who are so-called nonmedical users — people taking prescription painkillers without a medical reason. The total cost is staggering: about $28 billion for the estimated 40 million Americans with addiction.

Opiates, as well as the other commonly abused drugs such as benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Ativan) and ADHD-treating drugs like Adderall and Ritalin, can be incredibly addictive. Although only some 12 percent to 20 percent of people who ever use these drugs become addicted, once addicted their brain chemistry has changed enough to overrule all reason and social pressure telling them to stop. Addiction is a disease that can both rule and ruin the addict’s life because it affects the production of dopamine, the brain’s “happy juice.” For that reason, the best way to stop prescription pain medication abuse is not to take it for non-cancer pain in the first place.

Source