DrugRehab.com provides information regarding illicit and prescription drug
addiction, the various populations at risk for the disease, current statistics and trends, and
psychological disorders that often accompany addiction. You will also find information on spotting
the signs and symptoms of substance use and hotlines for immediate assistance.
Treatment for addiction takes many forms and depends on the needs of the individual.
In accordance with the American Society of Addiction Medicine, we offer information on
outcome-oriented treatment that adheres to an established continuum of care. In this section, you
will find information and resources related to evidence-based treatment models, counseling and
therapy and payment and insurance options.
Treatment for addiction takes many forms and depends on the needs of the
individual. In accordance with the American Society of Addiction Medicine, we offer
information on outcome-oriented treatment that adheres to an established continuum of
care. In this section, you will find information and resources related to evidence-based
treatment models, counseling and therapy and payment and insurance options.
The recovery process doesn't end after 90 days of treatment. The transition back to
life outside of rehab is fraught with the potential for relapse. Aftercare resources such as
12-step groups, sober living homes and support for family and friends promote a life rich with
rewarding relationships and meaning.
Our community offers unique perspectives on lifelong recovery and substance use
prevention, empowering others through stories of strength and courage. From people in active
recovery to advocates who have lost loved ones to the devastating disease of addiction, our
community understands the struggle and provides guidance born of personal experience.
The number of prescriptions for opioid medications in the United States decreased for the first time since 1996, according to a New York Times investigation.
Prescriptions for opioid-based painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet peaked in 2012 and then steadily declined in 2013, 2014 and 2015. An IMS Health report found a 12 percent decrease since 2012, and Symphony Health Solutions reported an 18 percent drop during the same timeframe.
The number of prescriptions has decreased in every state except South Dakota since 2013, according to IMS Health. However, fewer prescriptions has not meant fewer deaths from opioid overdose.
More people died in 2014 from opioid overdoses than ever before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s numbers include the illicit drug heroin, which many people began turning to when prescription opioids were no longer available.
According to the New York Times analysis:
Hydrocodone — the ingredient in Vicodin and Lortab — prescriptions have greatly decreased.
Prescriptions for OxyContin —a brand name for a drug containing oxycodone — dropped.
Experts, officials and health care workers disagree about the best ways to combat the opioid epidemic, but most agree that reckless prescribing of the highly addictive drugs helped fuel the problem.
“We are seeing an increase in the number of people who are dying from overdoses, predominantly after abuse of prescribed opioid analgesics,” Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told Congress in 2014. “This disturbing trend appears to be associated with a growing number of prescriptions in and diversion from the legal market.”
At the start of the new millennium, drug sales multiplied but the number of patients requiring treatment for pain did not grow. By 2012, physicians were prescribing enough opioids for every person in the U.S. to have a bottle, according to the CDC.
But some physicians worry that efforts to end the epidemic are preventing people who need treatment for chronic pain from getting help.
“The climate has definitely shifted,” Dr. Daniel B. Carr, director of Tufts Medical School’s program on pain research education and policy, told the New York Times. “It is now one of reluctance, fear of consequences and encumbrance with administrative hurdles. A lot of patients who are appropriate candidates for opioids have been caught up in that response.”
Efforts to Combat Addiction
Overall, Americans are unhappy with efforts to reduce prescription drug abuse, according to an April Kaiser Health poll.
Officials have taken a number of steps to end the problem. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added warnings to the labels of opioid medications and pushed the pharmaceutical industry to develop abuse-deterrent pills.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced guidelines for prescribing opioid medications in March of 2016. The guidelines advise doctors to use the opioid treatment only when no other effective treatment option is available and to prescribe the lowest effective dosage.
Forty-nine states have developed prescription drug monitoring programs to monitor patients’ prescription histories and attempt to prevent overdoses. Getting the doctors to use them is another hurdle.
Tennessee created a database in 2006, but opioid prescriptions increased 12 percent between 2010 and 2012, so the state mandated doctors use the database in 2013. Prescriptions dropped 14 percent between 2012 and 2015, according to the New York Times.
The federal government is also on the verge of enacting expansive legislation to aid in the epidemic. The Senate passed a bill expanding addiction treatment efforts, increasing the availability of naloxone and encouraging appropriate prescribing practices in March. The House passed a series of similar bills in May.
Medical Disclaimer: DrugRehab.com aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.
Goodnough, A. & Tavernise, S. (2016, May 20). Opioid Prescriptions Drop for First Time in Two Decades. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/21/health/opioid-prescriptions-drop-for-first-time-in-two-decades.html?_r=1
Kelly, E. (2016, May 11). House passes package of bills to fight opioid addiction. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/05/11/house-begins-passing-package-bills-fight-epidemic-opioid-addiction/84203944/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2013, September 10). FDA announces safety labeling changes and postmarket study requirements for extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm367726.htm
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2016, March 22). FDA announces enhanced warnings for immediate-release opioid pain medications related to risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose and death [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm491739.htm
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