Living with daily pain can cause people to become
frustrated, hopeless, and anxious, which makes it is very important that the
care of a person in pain is both properly managed and monitored. There is a
silent epidemic in America that is negatively affecting our elderly population. Prescription opioids, such as OxyContin,
Fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone and Vicodin, are being prescribed to our
elderly population more than they are prescribed to other groups.
Shocking opioid statistics
According to an article in STAT magazine, approximately one
third of Medicare beneficiaries were the recipient of at least one prescription
for commonly abused opioids in 2015.
Another article from Medscape indicates that a study was done by the
American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry which revealed that around 20% of
people 65 and older take analgesics many times a week, and even further, that
the addiction or abuse rates in those with chronic pain is 18%. Shockingly, in 2014 there were almost 19,000
lethal overdoses on prescription opioids, which was the highest amount on
record, per the same article in STAT magazine.
It is important to understand the gravity of this situation
because often times, people are unaware of the potential that exists to become
unknowingly and quickly addicted to these medications. According to researchers, most of the illicit
pain medications come from family members or a friend with good intentions. As
an example, study investigator Louis Trevisan, MD of Yale University School of
Medicine explains that people are prescribed medication for something such as a
root canal, and the remaining medication sits in their cabinet. Later on, their friend could develop a
headache, and they offer them their medication without realizing the
consequences.
Warning signs of opioid abuse and the elderly
There are some warning signs that an elderly person might be
abusing pain medication, such as:
- Visiting multiple physicians
- Common mood disorders
- Avidly
requesting a prescription of a controlled substance during an initial office
visit - Having a higher than average occurrence of chronic pain
- Asking for
early refills.
On the flipside, the
signs and symptoms of addiction in some cases may be misjudged as an outcome of
normal aging, according to Dr. Joseph Liberto, MD of the Veterans Affairs
Maryland Health Care System, which could make it even more difficult to
appropriately identify an elderly individual’s abuse of pain medication.
The medical personnel responsible for prescribing opioids
need to be held accountable for making sure that they prescribe this medication
with careful deliberation. As another example, a doctor could prescribe
opioids without looking into an individual’s current medications list, which
could result in damaging consequences or even death if the opioids react
negatively with medications the individual is currently taking.
If you or a loved one has been victim to improperly
dispensed opioids, please call my office for a free consultation today so that
we can evaluate your case for possible negligence.
Sources:
https://www.statnews.com/2016/06/22/many-opioid-prescriptions-seniors/
