Pharmacueticals and Doctors
Let's take a step back to the 1990's to understand one aspect of the problem, around this time heroin use was present but it wasn't as prevalent. One of the reasons it was not used and abused as heavily was due to the fact that doctors viewed prescription painkillers very differently. Doctors generally believed that opioid prescriptions were very addictive and had a niche use. One of the main uses for the drugs was for acute pain, surgery, and cancer patients. But eventually pharmaceutical companies started changing the consensus on prescription painkillers. One of the ways in which pharmaceutical companies provide proof that their drug works is through medical studies. These studies can be very useful, but they can also be conducted in ways to create an inaccurate representation of the drug. Pharmaceutical companies use studies that are conducted in a specific way to get a certain outcome as a basis for many of their claims. Without getting too detailed, an example of this is a study done on patients in the hospital who were administered painkillers which was later used to make claims about general prescription of painkillers (not in a hospital setting). The reason this is significant is because being given a medication once in the hospital in completely different from getting prescribed medications that you are routinely taking on your own. There is greater room for abuse and addiction through the habitual usage. This eventually came out and the company responsible for making OxyContin was sued for 600 million dollars, but only ended up paying 34.5 million in fines. These studies are used to make claims about how painkillers aren’t addictive, which isn't necessarily true. As a result, pharmaceutical companies are able to market the drugs in a way that is irresponsible and dangerous to meet their bottom line.
It’s also the responsibility of the doctor to diagnose and treat the patient through the appropriate mechanism. Granted that can be difficult when you are not getting told the complete truth from pharmaceutical companies. But it’s still no excuse, in 2012 doctors in the United States prescribed 259 million prescriptions, enough prescription opioids for "every American to have their own bottle". Though doctors may not be responsible for creating the drug and marketing it, they are the sole people who have the authority to prescribe it to patients. Like the pharmaceutical companies, doctors need to be held accountable for their actions and how they affect the people they’re supposed to treat.
It’s also the responsibility of the doctor to diagnose and treat the patient through the appropriate mechanism. Granted that can be difficult when you are not getting told the complete truth from pharmaceutical companies. But it’s still no excuse, in 2012 doctors in the United States prescribed 259 million prescriptions, enough prescription opioids for "every American to have their own bottle". Though doctors may not be responsible for creating the drug and marketing it, they are the sole people who have the authority to prescribe it to patients. Like the pharmaceutical companies, doctors need to be held accountable for their actions and how they affect the people they’re supposed to treat.