The problems with opioids have been all over the news. Now it is the political season, and the politics of pain have occasionally been making news. It’s generally about how awful the pharmaceutical companies have been and how they have been behind the current problems. Whenever we try to point blame, it is worth remembering that both the problems and solutions are complex. Drug companies may have recognized the market for pain medications but without a demand for the product, even with the best sales, the problems would not have developed. Further, doctors have also been blamed, always over prescribing pain medications.
The treatments for pain are as varied as the causes, as there is not a single treatment that works for all. Unfortunately, the culture in the U.S. often wants a quick fix, and if a pill helps, most want that solution. The harder solutions of modifying activity and exercise often have few takers. The easy solution is taking an opioid medication, and when people started to realize that it helps temporarily, many people have insisted on being prescribed these medications.
Patient rights and quality care have also been an issue in prescribing medications. Countless times patients have said it is their right to take certain medications and that if a patient has pain, it is the obligation of a healthcare provider to prescribe opioids to control their symptoms. Now with multiple sites providing online evaluations and ratings of care providers, patients dissatisfied with not being prescribed certain medications will rate a provider badly.
Prescribing Opioids
The politically correct position currently, at least for healthcare managers, politicians, and lawmakers, is to say opioids are always bad and doctors should not be prescribing these medications since they only cause addiction and death. The truth is obviously more complex, but these medications are appropriate for certain people, especially when all other treatments for pain have failed.
Years ago, the pharmaceutical companies were notably behind the push to have opioids more widely prescribed. Today, we have a better understanding of the problem with these medications, and we have some alternatives in management of pain. As cynical as it was for drug companies to push for prescribing medications, now the push for more addiction management due to opioid problems. One of the most important solutions to reducing opioid usage is to fund research for better treatment alternatives and to discover more about what causes ongoing pain.
The opioid crisis is real and it affects an alarming number. Yes, there is a need for stemming the crisis, but most of the money being proposed is to go for addiction treatment, and often people who directly profit are behind the treatment programs. Another group is pushing for legalizing marijuana for the treatment of pain, and many of those pushing the hardest will again directly profit if this is legalized. Those in the trenches trying to appropriately diagnose and treat pain, and those who are suffering from pain currently have little financial support. Even though a third of the population struggles with pain, very few resources are being targeted towards a better understanding of the mechanisms behind pain and new treatment alternatives. Pain is not glamorous, and there is no high profile celebrity pushing the cause for better treatments. Unfortunately, there are many people pushing causes related to pain for personal profit, from addiction treatment centers, pharmaceutical companies, to disingenuous entrepreneurs pushing for legalizing marijuana. When looking for solutions, they need to be based in the best interest of those in pain.