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Many patients revealed in a recent U.S. study that they’re receiving more painkillers from their doctors than are actually needed to treat their ailment. On top of that, some of these patients are also sharing these prescription drugs with others or storing them in insecure locations where others may easily get access to them.
These lax practices surrounding prescription painkiller use are, researchers have found, contributing to the country’s trend of abusing, forming an addiction to, and becoming reliant on these substances.
More than 20% of patients in this study confessed that they have shared their opioid medication with others for their pain relief, and 60% of patients kept their oversized dosages for “future use,” lead study author and assistant scientist in John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Alene Kennedy-Hendricks, reported.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other medical professionals are pointing fingers at doctors and the medical community for consistently overprescribing painkillers to their patients and for failing to inform patients on proper medication disposal practices. Kennedy-Hendricks wrote, “We need to make it more convenient for people to dispose of their leftover opioid medication.”
The solution that many have been going for, when faced with excessive prescription medication, is to simply give it to others who might need the opioids for other pain-related reasons. Although these actions are made out of kindness toward others, this still constitutes as a form of opioid abuse. It’s best that everyone takes their own prescription medication and visit the doctor to receive a painkiller that’s best suited for their needs to avoid unwanted consequences, like becoming addicted to opioids.
Until doctors have become more efficient in prescribing the proper amounts of painkillers and effective in delineating proper methods of disposing of extra prescription medication, it’s in a person’s best interest to properly follow any and all doctors’ instructions regarding painkillers. Improper use of painkillers can easily result in long-term use, attachment, and dependence on these substances.
