We hear about it every day. Another death caused by overdose. Its terrible and should not be happening. Specifically, deaths caused by overdosing on opioids and pain medication taken in excess. Is it the street level dealers in that are killing people by selling these drugs or is the problem with the companies that are behind the scenes pushing this medication on a corporate level?
Mayor Bill de Blasio seems to think it’s the latter. His argument being that big pharma is pushing the drugs and creating increasing demand for higher dosages and quantities. They are legally pushing the drugs that are making people addicted, sick, and sometimes killing them.
Reported by the New York Times, there are many states choosing to enact measures to limit the use of prescription opioids. These are highly addictive medicines that will alleviate pain but have also lead to an epidemic of overdoses and deaths.
In New York City, the combination of medical treatments, emergency treatment agencies, and other factors have resulted in the taxpayers picking up a bill of around half a billion dollars.
Should the big pharmaceutical companies be sewed for reparation of some of these damages caused by their products? Is corporate greed at the heart of these companies pushing their drugs in higher quantities and dosages than ever before? Are they responsible for the epidemic we are experiencing throughout the United States?
These are all questions worth exploring, and we are happy to see politicians actively tackling this issue and bringing it to light. We aren’t here to offer an opinion either way, but we are here to present the questions and get you thinking about it.
How does this affect the pain management industry?
How does this affect us, right? That’s another question that you probably have. The answer may surprise you.
This doesn’t have much of an effect on us specifically at all. Regardless of any limitations that could in the future be set forth by pharmaceutical companies or lawmakers, doctors who treat their patients ethically should feel no effects of limitations.
There will always be medicine available to people who need it, at the levels they need. Doctors should be mindful of the fact that these medications are addictive and should be limited to prevent any abuse long term. Instead of over-prescribing, due diligence needs to be done and doses need to be raised very gradually as needed only.
If you have any comments on the topic, we would love to hear your opinions!
Thanks for reading.