Painkiller Use Skyrockets

The usage of painkillers has not just increased recently—it has skyrocketed. According to a recent government study, the quantity of the five leading painkillers sold has increased 90 percent. In 2005, over 200,000 pounds of codeine, hydrocodone, meperidine, morphine, and oxycodone passed over the counter. Some attribute this dramatic increase to an aging population while others blame drug abuse. But whatever the main reason, Americans are hurting more than ever.

Painkiller Facts and Figures

Painkillers generally work by obstructing pain receptors in the spinal cord and brain. Depending on the severity and nature of the pain, physicians can prescribe a variety or combinations of painkillers.

The five most common types of pain medication are as follows:

• Codeine: A pain reliever frequently combined with other painkillers to increase effectiveness.
• Hydrocodone: An artificial painkiller that resembles, but is more active than, codeine.
• Meperidine: An artificial sedative and painkiller.
• Morphine: Derived from opium, this bitter alkaloid can be used as a painkiller, a sedative, or a light anesthetic.
• Oxycodone: A painkiller and sedative related to codeine.

Why Is Painkiller Use Rising?

To explain the near doubling of painkiller use from 1997 to 2005, an AP investigation has come up with several reasons.

First, an aging U.S. population has driven up demand for medication, including drugs to treat pain. Not only do they need pain management during and after surgery, patients with long-term and persistent pain need regular doses for illnesses such as arthritis and cancer. And with treatment improving, cancer patients are living longer than ever—but this means they will require more painkillers.

Secondly, effective marketing of drugs has made more people aware of medical options for their pain. Drug makers spent almost $30 billion in 2005 telling people they don't have to live with pain.

Thirdly, doctors who once regarded pain as part of the healing process now consider pain management as such. In turn, most patients now expect this and routinely request painkillers after treatment.

Finally, painkiller abuse has become so great, drug authorities are calling painkillers the "new heroin". Painkillers such as OxyContin can have the same euphoric effects as cocaine and heroin. Unfortunately, many have become addicted to them, driving up demand for painkillers as a result.

Painkiller Problems

Though popular and commonly prescribed, painkillers, like all drugs, can be dangerous. They can lead to heart attack, intestinal damage, and strokes. Possible short-term side effects include constipation, reduced breathing, and exhaustion. Long-term effects include the chance of physical dependence.

In fact, Americans abuse painkillers more than any other type of prescription medication. This has become a huge problem, with media and medical scandals revolving around the illegal sale and purchase of painkillers. Painkillers have become such a liability that some doctors have even stopped prescribing the drugs entirely. This can only mean more pain for the new surge of Americans looking for relief.

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