#thepharmacist

In the 1990s pharmaceutical companies such as Purdue Pharma, famously known for the development and distribution of OxyContin, assured the public that their medication would be a helpful solution to chronic pain with the assurance that it was a low addictive pill. Likewise, other painkiller medication took the form of opioids such as: hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone, meperidine, and synthetic forms such as fentanyl and tramadol. These companies had claimed that these, “low risk” opioids were beneficial to people who were and weren’t suffering from long term illness, severe post surgery pain and even cancer. However, the results of patients consuming these “pain meds” felt a substantial sense of euphoria to the point of abusing these opioids and sprouting a fatal dependency on them (National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2020). 

Not too long ago Netflix had released a a true crime documentary called, The Pharmacist, consisting of four episodes detailing the tragedy of a Louisiana based pharmacist’s son’s murder to then his discovery of opioid addiction amongst his customers and a pill mill doctor who is distributing them. Prior to watching this documentary I had minimal knowledge of the opioid crisis but watching Dan Schneider’s first hand account of the crisis unfolding, had piqued my interest and desire to learn more.

The first wave of the opioid crisis occurred in the 1990s and then spiked further later in 2010, with the dependency on heroin itself as a result of prescription opioids becoming more difficult to obtain by medical practitioners,

“By 1999, 86% of patients using opioids were using them for non cancer pain. Communities where opioids were readily available and prescribed liberally were the first places to experience increased opioid use and diversion (the transfer of opioids from the individual for whom they were prescribed to others, which is illegal)”

“Deaths due to heroin-related overdoes increased by 286% from 2002 to 2013, and approximately 80% of heroin users admitted to misusing prescription opioids before turning to heroin” (National Capital Poison Center, History of the Opiod Epidemic)

Currently there are on average 130 Americans dying daily to opioid overdose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has committed to fighting the opioid epedemic and instituted a program called, “Enhanced State Opioid Overdose Surveillance” in order to monitor and support the United States by more effective quality surveillance data regarding fatal and non fatal opioid overdose cases. As of now 32 states are being funded which help provide detailed toxicology information, death scene investigations and other factors.

References

“Enhanced State Opioid Overdose Surveillance.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 July 2019, www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/foa/state-opioid-mm.html.

Liu, Lindsy. “History of the Opioid Epidemic.” History of the Opioid Epidemic: How Did We Get Here?, National Capital Poison Center, 13 Nov. 2019, www.poison.org/articles/opioid-epidemic-history-and-prescribing-patterns-182.