The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population, yet consumes nearly 70 percent of the global opioid supply. Doing this has created an epidemic that has resulted in the deaths of thousands each and every year. According to the American Association of Physicians in Medicine (AAPM), as many as 18 million patients rely on the use of opioids to treat chronic pain not related to terminal illness. Hoping to develop a solution to the problem of opioid misuse, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published guidelines outlining dosages and circumstances in which opioids can and should be used. The CDC intended for this directive to be voluntary. Also, the guidelines were applicable to primary care physicians providing treatment to patients with chronic pain related to serious acute physical injury or hospice care. While doctors in the primary care field of medicine quickly adopted these directives other specialities began to follow suit.
As result of these actions, thousands of patients prescribed opioids as pain medications had their doses drastically reduced or eliminated. Although done with good intentions attempting to save millions of patients from the possibility of addiction, this measure has unintentionally impacted the lives of patients being treated with opioids. One study by the Veteran’s Health Administration suggested that rates of suicidal acts increased following a reduction or discontinuation of opioid treatment.
Opioid withdrawal syndrome is generally thought as an unpleasant but non-life threatening occurrence. However, complications may occur if an individual is monitored inadequately. Opioid withdrawal is marked by physical and mental symptoms that occur after stopping or reducing intake of opioids, related to use of certain prescription pain medications and illegal drugs like heroin. While acute withdrawal can result in death due to risk of chronic dehydration and heart failure, the ultimate risk of death is related to acts of suicide and overdose through relapse.
A looming threat developing within the opioid crisis includes the possibilities of suicide and overdose related to opioid use. Opioid withdrawal is a condition that is highly stigmatized. Social and communal stigmas may often objectify those going through opioid withdrawal. These attitude make it hard for dependent patients to seek adequate treatment for their condition. It is important that we overcome and tear down the preconceptions surrounding addiction in order to develop more effective measures of treating opioid withdrawal and improving patient outcomes.
Breaking the Cycle 