Causes and Effects of Increased Use of Prescription
Added on 2020-03-16
6 Pages1515 Words170 Views
Running head: CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF INCREASED USE OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS 1Causes and Effects of Increased Use of Prescription OpioidsName of the StudentName of the Institution
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF INCREASED USE OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS 2Causes and Effects of Increased Use of Prescription OpioidsThere are so many Australians who are dying of prescription opioids, in comparison tothose dying of illegal use of heroin. Australian Bureau of Statistics data, which was analyzed bythe National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, indicated that 68% of the 668 overdose deathsin the year 2013 were linked to prescription opioids. Opioids are extracted from opium. Opium isa sticky substance which is derived from opium poppy seeds. Opioids are deemed the father ofentire narcotic drugs because it has more than twenty morphine effects. It is dispersant in nature.Opioids are classified into three categories; synthetic, chemically modified or natural. Opioidsmedication is readily available in Australia through doctor’s prescription. The essay, therefore,seeks to discuss causes for, and effects of, the increased use of prescription opioids. The major cause for the increased use of prescription opioids is it expanded use to treatsevere and chronic, non-cancer pain. Medical researchers have recommended opioids as aneffective pain reliever for patients suffering from acute-chronic pains. As a consequence, of theseindications opioids usage has risen significantly in Australia and other jurisdictions. Accordingto Blanch, Pearson & Haber (2014), the increase rate for opioids uses to treat non-cancer painshave increased by 15-times from 1992 to 2012. Therefore, oxycodone can be attributed to beingthe main reason leading to the increased utilization of opioids. Fentanyl and Buprenorphine aretwo kinds of opioid which have become popular in the treatment of pain; thus, making it useincrease. As a result, there is a general agreement among the health care professional that the useof opioids to treat severer non-cancer pains has led to its increased medical usage.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF INCREASED USE OF PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS 3Another vital cause for the increased use of prescription opioids is the group of peoplewho use opioids for nonmedical purposes. People who inject drugs account for the increased useof prescription opioids in circumstances where heroin is not available. Degenhardt, Gilmour &Hall (2013), argues that the consistent use of medical opioids among the people who inject drugsis an indication of untreated opioid addiction. Therefore, considering people who inject drugs areweak and exposed to death, they should be given immediate care to minimize their opioiddependence. Following research by Degenhardt and colleagues, it was established that more than900 people who inject drugs use pharmaceutical opioids illegally. Methadone, morphine, andoxycodone tablets were found to prevalent among the drug addicts. Medics, therefore, agrees thatuntil opioid substitution treatment is designed to be attractive and available; people who injectdrug will keep on utilizing pharmaceutical opioids far more than the entire population (Bruneau,Arruda & Jutras‐Aswad, 2012).There are numerous effects of the increased use of prescription opioids in Australia. Themain effect is increased in the number of deaths linked to use of pharmaceutical opioids. Anincrease in the accidental deaths as a result of prescription opioids and other illicit opioidssubstances was witnessed between the year 2002 and 2011. According to Karanges & Pearson(2016), the number of deaths related to pharmaceutical opioids raised from 151 to 266 betweenthe year 2002 and 2011. This indicated a 1.7 times increase. Karanges together with hiscolleagues also established that the number of deaths was more for males as compared to thefemales. The relationship between increased opioid uses in Australia is directly proportional tothe increased numbers of deaths linked to its use. As consequence, of this increased use ofpharmaceutical opioids health professionals have recommended a policy to curb its usage.
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