Zohydro is an opioid analgesic hydrocodone that no contains acetaminophen is a 12-h extended-release formulation. Its approval was against the FDA’s expert panel recommendation. Opioids have been widely used as treatment for non-cancer chronic pain. However, it may be some misunderstanding in the efficacy and safety of this drugs because of their potential misuse, abuse and addiction.…
Shepperd, J. R., & Hale, S. E. (2016). Nurse Practitioners in the World of Pain Management: A Cautionary Tale. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 12(2), 102-108. doi:10.1016/j.nurpra.2015.10.006 This work has the purpose of informing Nurse Practitioners of the potential dangers and pitfalls within prescribing pain medication to patients. It uses a methodology of first giving an example of a case where a nurse practitioner was charged with running a pill mill due to her numerous prescriptions for opioid pain medication.…
In Case Study #3 Three nurses woke up in hospital beds due to a secondary exposure to fentanyl after cleaning up a room from a patient who had overdosed, and knowing what we know about pharmacokinetics we need to be taking precautions when a potential fentanyl/heroin overdose is suspected. Proper protocols need to be set in place when dealing with possible overdose of fentanyl/heroin to protect the patient as well as the people who are treating the patient. Experts have recognized a need for help and are trying to analyze ways to best deal with the opioid epidemic, and are trying to find ways to combat the overuse of prescription pain killers that can lead to potential heroin addiction. Safety requirements are needed for healthcare workers,…
The Opioid Crisis refers to the drastically increased and popularized usage of opioids, especially fentanyl. In Cambridge, the core Galt area is mostly affected by this issue, as many used drug needles can be seen in the surroundings. There have been countless cases of fentanyl overdoses in Cambridge, and kits including a drug known as naloxone is being used to reverse the effects of opioids. There is currently debate surrounding the topic of establishing supervised and safe injection sites, and where they should be located.…
Gomes provides statistics for the staggering amount of deaths caused by opioid overdoses. Along with, presenting insight on the provincial and federal government plans to end this crisis. There are numerous issues surrounding the opioid dilemma, ranging from the number of overdoses to debates about the high dosage opioid formulas and how palliative care patients are affected. Society has continued to turn a blind-eye to the issue, choosing to believe it is an anti-drug society (McKnight, 2016). The opioid crisis could have been prevented and should have been made a priority when data surfaced in 2013 regarding the number of deaths caused from opioids.…
Prescription opioids are intended to be used for a limited period to treat higher levels of pain, but unfortunately, they are often misused and even abused. An estimated 90 Americans die every day due to overdosing on opioids. On the side of preventing the opioid crisis in America, all opioids should be…
Dreamland Discussion Three The third reading of Dreamland continues to shed light on the ongoing opioid crisis in America, and brings some new methods that the DEA and police used to combat the spread of painkiller and heroin abuse to the forefront. In the first section of the reading, we learned about Dr.Katz and his criticisms of the research on painkillers. I agree with him when he said that the doctors are not being truthful when they market these painkillers.…
Opioids are psychoactive substances derived from the opium poppy, or their synthetic analogues. They are natural, semisynthetic or synthetic narcotic drugs used as painkiller such as morphine, meth or methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl, hydrocodone, codeine, hydromorphone and buprenorphine. They are legal only when prescribed. Opioid overdose (OOD) occurs by accident or on purpose. OOD depresses central nervous and respiratory systems leading to drowsiness, slow breathing, pinpoint pupils, bluish lips or fingernails, limping, vomiting, loss of consciousness and death.…
According to prescription data from the IMS Health, “at the beginning of 2006, there were 47 million prescriptions dispensed per quarter in the United States for the opioid analgesics included in this study. Prescription volume peaked in the fourth quarter of 2012 at 62 million prescriptions dispensed.” (Dart). This increase in prescription directly relates to the substance’s abuse as “the rate of prescription opioid abuse increased from 1.6 per 100,000 population in 2005 to 7.3 in 2010” (Dart). When doctors prescribe these drugs, usually the opioids hurt more than help.…
Drug overdose is a major public health concern. Among all the drug-related deaths, the opioid class of drug is a significant cause of overdose-related fatalities. According to the World Drug Report (2016), roughly a third to a half of all drug-related deaths are due to overdose, and of those, opioids are the most common substance. Canada has also been ranked as the second largest consumer of prescription opioids in the world with a 203% increase in usage between 2000 and 2010 (International Narcotics Control Board, 2011). With the number of opioid-related deaths rapidly growing, it is extremely important for patients, doctors and pharmacists to realize the problem and develop a solution to treat this severe national-wide opioid crisis.…
The opioid epidemic has been an issue that the United States has struggled with since the early 1900’s. Opioids are drugs commonly used in medical practice to relieve pain. Before the knowledge we have currently on opioids, opioids were an essential in curing a range of symptoms; from relieving pain to being used as cough suppressants. Today, the war on opioids is at an all time high. In 2014, 14 thousand people died from an opioid overdose.…
There are cost problems along with the possibility of addiction when opioids are prescribed to individuals seeking pain relief. The use of opioids by medical practitioners should be reduced and more alternatives should be introduced into the medical practice as a cost-effective way to save money and help people. The introduction of the less expensive medications will prove to be better for the patient in terms of being able to receive the medication. Doctors should have encouragement to review other options before prescribing the opioids because of the opioids addictive nature and the cost of the drugs. If the patient is able to recover from injury or a sickness without paying too much and without becoming addicted to a medication then it is a good thing for both the patient and the doctor.…
“In 2010, approximately 46 Americans died per day from an overdose involving prescription opioids” (moving beyond) Pharmaceutical opioids addictive properties leave patients needing another script even though their symptoms are gone. Big pharmaceutical companies push these drugs; therefore, doctors feel pressured to over prescribe them. “Millions of people in the United States report nonmedical use of prescription drugs, and recently drug overdoses have surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of injury death” (moving beyond) Our government spends billions of dollars for the war on drugs, but only a small percentage of it focuses on pharmaceutical opioids that are being misprescribed and abused.…
In 2013 25,000 people died from an overdose of prescribed medicine out of that 25,000 18,000 them died from prescribed opioids. If those people were not prescribed the opioids then they probably wouldn’t have died cutting down that number to only 7,000 deaths. The higher the dose of opioid drug leads to more overdoses. The longer you take the drug the stronger the tolerance becomes and then the higher the dose of the drug the higher the chance of having an overdose. That’s why the common age that people overdose on opioids is from the age 25-64.…
Opioid abuse can lead to severe overdose and death. Opioids are highly addictive due to its use as a pain reliever while also depressing emotions. Increased abuse of prescription opioids has correlated to an increase in the use of harder street drugs in areas that you wouldn’t except. Heroin use is among one of the most prevalent of these, “Heroin-related deaths increased 439% from 1999 to 2014” (Christensen, Hernandez).…