A report from the Associated Press used to create this article Painkiller Sales Soar in U.S., Fuel Addiction highlights the alarming rise in the use of painkillers. The industry will quote better quality of life of users who need painkillers and more controlled use to treat chronic pain. Anybody involved in the drug treatment industry knows the sorry truth and that is that addiction to painkillers is the real reason for the growth. This report on prescription drug overdoses from the CDC confirms an alarming trend in the abuse of prescription drugs. These “legal” drugs are now claiming more lives than street drugs. The drug companies have an alarming amount of power in the U.S. but its beyond all logical comprehension that the trend should be allowed to continue when clearly the growth in this industry in being fueled by addictions which leads to one death every 19 minutes according to the CDC report. We need much greater controls on these drugs and a centralized database to stop doctor shopping. We also need greater education for our health care professionals to ensure they understand the huge risks associated with prescribing these drugs to anybody with a history of addiction.
Our doctors are becoming drug pushers and its alarming that the statistics are not making the medical industry itself push for reform to put better controls in place to prevent abuse, addiction and deaths.
