This article in the Windsor Star is one of the most comprehensive and balanced looks at painkiller abuse and addiction in Canada we have come across in recent months.
With an aging population, a brewing controversy surrounds the increasing number of painkillers hitting pharmacies in 2012, given the associated risk of addiction – and even death.
A collection of medical journals have highlighted the growing problem, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control released a report last month calling the number of opioid-related deaths at “epidemic levels,” noting that more people now die from opiates than from heroin and cocaine combined. According to the CDC, the opioid death toll has almost eclipsed that of car crashes in the U.S.
However, as Pearson writes and cites Dr. David Juurlik’s, (head of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto) 2009 Canadian Medical Association Journal article:
…Research showed that between 1991 and 2007 in Canada opioid prescriptions rose 29 per cent. Opioid-related deaths doubled between 1991 and 2004, to 27.2 per million. Prescriptions of oxycodone increased 850 per cent between 1991 and 2007. And the addition of long-acting oxycodone was associated with a five-fold increase in oxycodone-related deaths.
The article goes on to highlight the role companies such as Perdue Pharma play in the system and the politically-savvy stance with which they manage their role (referring the reporter to the Canadian Pain Society). Dr. Roman Jovey, who spoke on behalf of the CPS made an important point:
“Pain medication is not an answer by itself,” Jovey said. “It’s an imperfect solution to a complicated problem.”
As you can tell, there was a lot to this article. Take the time to read it and understand the cycle and issues involved with the drugs that surround Pain and its Management. It’s well worth while for both patients and practitioners to understand the system and the cycle.