Just how bad is America’s drug problem right now? I hope prescription pain medication is not the only indicator, because a recent report showed that use and abuse of prescription pain killers has increased an astounding 200% in the past 20 years!

Painkiller abuse in the United States has exploded along with skyrocketing prescriptions and sales according to the Courier General. Even doctors and dentists just trying to do the right thing by their patients are being victimized and fueling the epidemic.

Even well-meaning doctors and dentists are fueling the epidemic of prescription drug abuse by prescribing narcotics too often and for too long, officials said.

Recent statistics show that prescriptions for opiate-based painkillers dispensed by retail pharmacies rose from 76 million in 1991 to 219 million in 2011.

Has life gotten that much more difficult over the years that such strong pain medication is required by so many? Of course the answer to that question is a resounding no!

One of the hardest-hit states is Kentucky which experienced more than 1,000 deaths last year attributed to prescription-drug overdoses — more deaths than in traffic accidents.

Dentists and emergency medicine physicians were the chief prescribers of painkillers to patients 5 to 29 years old, and that high prescribers should consider alternatives, particularly for this vulnerable group. Really, do 5-year-olds need such heavy medication?

She also said education on pain management is sorely lacking in medical schools, which offer an average of seven hours, compared with 75 hours in U.S. veterinary schools.

Crazy Stat of the Month

In 2010, enough prescription painkillers were prescribed to medicate every American adult around the clock for a month.

That is crazy. What do you think? Is it that it is a buzz people can hide? Will more 8 hour drug awareness classes and 15 hour drug education classes help curb this trend? I would like to hear what you think.

With prescription pain medication seeming to get strong and more addictive by the day, it amazes me that companies now are producing pain killers 10 times more powerful than Vicodin. The new meds will be pure hydrocodone – never before legal in the United States.

Do You Think this is a Good Idea?

I am troubled because of the dark side that has accompanied the boom in sales of narcotic painkillers: Murders, pharmacy robberies and millions of dollars lost by hospitals that must treat overdose victims.

Thousands of legitimate pain patients are becoming addicted to powerful prescription painkillers in addition to the thousands more who abuse the drugs.

Prescription painkillers led to the deaths of almost 15,000 people in 2008, more than triple the 4,000 deaths in 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month.

Emergency room visits related to hydrocodone abuse have shot from 19,221 in 2000 to 86,258 in 2009, according to data compiled by the Drug Enforcement Administration. In Florida alone, hydrocodone caused 910 deaths and contributed to 1,803 others between 2003 and 2007.

What is Hydrocodone?

Hydrocodone belongs to family of drugs known as opiates or opioids because they are chemically similar to opium. They include morphine, heroin, oxycodone, codeine, methadone and hydromorphone.

Opiates block pain but also unleash intense feelings of well-being and can create physical dependence. The withdrawal symptoms are also intense, with users complaining of cramps, diarrhea, muddled thinking, nausea and vomiting.

After a while, opiates stop working, forcing users to take stronger doses or to try slightly different chemicals.

You’ve got a person on your product for life, and a doctor’s got a patient who’s never going to miss an appointment, because if they did and they didn’t get their prescription, they would feel very sick. It’s a terrific business model, and that’s what these companies want to get in on.

How to Stop the Abuse

Under pressure from the government, Purdue Pharma last year debuted a new OxyContin pill formula that “squishes” instead of crumbling when someone tries to crush it.

But Zogenix, whose drug is time-released but crushable, says there is not enough evidence to show that such tamper-resistant reformulations thwart abuse.

Ponder This

Do you think we need more potent painkillers? Any of my readers out there need something stronger than what is on the market? How do painkillers make you feel? I bet one side effect you experience is extreme irritability. Watch for this – painkillers taken in increasing doses increases irritability in a high percentage of users. Let me know what you think!