The Opioid Crisis: Is temporary pain relief worth a lifetime of addiction?

Opioid prescription rates are only going up, as well as number of people affected by addiction. Is the pain relief worth the possibility of addiction?

Have you ever been prescribed Vicodin after a simple wisdom tooth surgery? Vicodin is just one of many opioids that are prescribed daily to the general public. The opioid crisis is one that has plagued our country for the past 30 years, and has claimed the lives of thousands. 2 out of 3 deaths involving a drug overdose is a result of opioid use. Opioids are commonly prescribed by medical professionals following intense surgeries that involve painful recoveries for the patient. Opioids are very strong drugs that are able to give the patient instant relief from the intense pain that is often associated with surgery recovery.

However, since the drugs are associated with such powerful pain relief, they are extremely addictive and some people can get addicted to these drugs after simply one use. There are positives and negatives to prescribing and not prescribing opioids to patients. With all of the talk about this crisis going on in our society, it is helpful to look at the scientific facts from both sides of the debate.

Opioids offer patients quick and easy pain relief after major surgeries or life events. They are often prescribed to people who just got out of surgery, experienced an injury, or even people who are just simply very sick. People who use opioids to recover often feel a high feeling or sensation which makes it much easier for patients to go through daily life, or recover in peace without the immense pain that can be associated with certain intense surgeries, like back or knee surgery.

Many Americans today suffer from chronic pain, so opioids may be the only option for patients like this. People who experience chronic pain can often not feel any relief or go through daily life without the use of intense pain killers like opioids. This can be beneficial for patients as they can feel good enough to go through their lives, but it can also pose long term effects as a result of long term use.

Opioids, as a result of them being so effective, are incredibly addictive. When the drug is ingested the patient feels almost immediate relief. This immediate relief can even result in a high feeling or numbness. Patients often associate this feeling with happiness as they are no longer in the pain they used to be in. This can be an issue because they will be looking for that same high feeling as long as they are using the drug.

This leads to the patient taking more and more amounts of the drug at one time to attempt to feel that same feeling again. Unfortunately, they will never feel that same high feeling at the same level as the first time they took it, again. The more the patient is looking for this feeling, the more drugs they will be willing to ingest at a given time, the more likely they are to overdose on the same drugs that they were once ‘safely’ prescribed to them as a doctor.

Overall, looking at the science behind opioids and their addictive qualities, I personally believe that opioids should not be as easily prescribed to the general public as they are now. Although opioids may make you feel better for a couple of hours, you will constantly be chasing that painless feeling and continue to do the drugs. The amount of people who are prescribed one pill and become addicted to pills for the rest of their lives is astounding.

The short term pain relief is not worth the lifetime of drug addiction, and possibly death, that can come from even one pill.