2. Category of Problem/Issue: Medical/Health
3. Level of Problem: National
4. The article concerns:
-A shift in policy to have tighter control on how hydrocodone is prescribed, like OxyContin.
-A shift in policy to have tighter control on how hydrocodone is prescribed, like OxyContin.
5. Why is this important to individuals/families OR How does it affect individuals/families?
-According to the article, prescription drugs account for three-quarters of all drug overdose deaths in the US and drugs that contain hydrocodone account for 70% of prescription pills. Experts are saying that the loose rules are contributing to addictions and deaths. On the other hand, this could pose hardships on vulnerable patients with serious chronic pain problems.
6. What are your views on the issue/problem?
-Narcotics are definitely not anything to be played around with, they are serious drugs and unfortunately a lot of people become addicted to them. If doctors are allowing patients too many refills or just too many pills at a time, a patient could easily have the ability to abuse their prescription and become addicted. Ultimately, I think that this all falls under the responsibility of doctors. Doctors should be careful of who they give these prescriptions to, and how much they prescribe. They should also be aware of the patient's situation and not prescribe to people he or she sees having potential in drug abuse. I'm not 100% sure about how I feel in regards to the change in policy, because it's not currently affecting me. I think people with chronic pain will definitely be inconvenienced, and I'm unsure about how big of an impact tighter regulation will have.
I agree that these drugs should be monitored and tighter regulations should be placed on them. I have had many friends suffer from addiction of prescription pain killers and one of the reasons was because they were easily accessed. After getting my wisdom teeth out I was prescribed a very strong dose of narcotics and at the end of taking them felt like I was relying on them. I could have easily been put on other medication that was not so addicting and felt like they didn't really help much with the pain. I understand that it might be more difficult for people to get them if they need them but I feel that if it is a good doctor then they will know what they need. I have lost my best friend due to the mixture of these prescription drugs and alcohol and believe it might not have happened if we did have stronger control. I am not surprised at how high the overdose rate is on these drugs and really wish more people understood how dangerous they are.
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