Prescription Drugs: From the Perspective of a Student in Covid.
There is a menace that is holding the United States, no, the entire world by the throat. That menace is prescription drugs. We all have lost family and friends to drugs. I personally have lost my cousin to an overdose on drugs. He was stuck on inhalants. But it all started with prescription drugs with him. He started taking prescription pills in school.
People are not only using prescription drugs for pain and to cure ailments. College students are using amphetamines just to get through their classes. The Michigan Daily released a survey to multiple institutions around the state asking students if they have used prescription drugs to study.
“25 percent said they had used central nervous stimulants such as Adderall to complete schoolwork or to take an exam.”
Only 8.95% said they had been prescribed the drug. This shows that prescription drugs have infiltrated deep into the American workforce. It is likely that a large chunk of employed professionals have gotten that far due to prescription pills.
The overwhelming use of Aderall among students may also reflect the sad shape that our education system is in. If students need to resort to pills to get through their classes something is not right.
Covid 19 has made the duties of a student much harder. Students are now mostly teaching themselves due to the switch to online classes. Not only is drug abuse in students on the rise but also overdoses are becoming much more frequent in Covid times.
People are stuck inside more than ever before. This isolation is leaving addicts and recovering addicts with nothing else to do but indulge in their problem. According to the CDC:
“Over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in May 2020, the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period”.
This statistic is alarming. The truth of the matter is that it has become far too easy to obtain prescription drugs. Often times a prescription turns into an addiction. People often switch from their prescription to cheap street alternatives. The number of overdoses climbs every year in the US.
The situation may seem hopeless but there are better alternatives to prescription pain killers that are more natural and much less harmful. We need to make Oxycodone and other powerful Narcotics harder to obtain.
The figure above shows the amount of overdoses in the US in 2010 compared to recent years. More specifically, it shows deaths related to Opioids, strong pain killers.
The prescription drug epidemic has gotten so out of hand because doctors are too quick to prescribe them. A study in 2014 showed how simple it is to get opioids. In the study professional actors spoke with a doctor, they described symptoms of pain. Half of the “patients” asked for Oxycodone specifically, the other half did not. “About 20% of the sciatica patients who requested oxycodone got it”. Of the patients that didn’t ask for it, 1% got Oxycodone.
53% of the patients who asked for Oxycodone received another powerful narcotic like percocets. That means of the patients who asked for Oxycodone, 73% walked away with a prescription to some sort of powerful pharmaceutical drug. However, prescribed drugs are only half of the problem.
People often misuse their prescription, this misuse forms an addiction. According to drugabuse.gov:
“Although most people take prescription medications responsibly, in 2017, an estimated 18 million people (more than 6 percent of those aged 12 and older) have misused such medications at least once in the past year”.
When they can’t obtain their prescription drugs anymore, these addicts switch to a cheaper street alternative like heroin. The National Institute on Drug Abuse recognizes prescription opioid use as a risk factor for heroin abuse later on.
After examining national-level heroin data, the NIDA found that, “ nearly 80 percent of heroin users reported using prescription opioids prior to heroin”. Also they determined that people abusing prescription opioids were 19 times more likely to abuse heroin than those who don’t use opioids.
While some drugs are too easy to obtain, other life saving drugs have become too hard to get. Insulin in particular has skyrocketed in price. In the last 60 years Insulin has gone from 75 cents per vile to $250 per vile.
“The U.S. represents only 15% of the global insulin market, but generates nearly 50% of the industry’s insulin revenue.”
Pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of vulnerable diabetics to make a bigger profit. The way the U.S. handles its prescription drugs is dysfunctional at best.
To be fair, the country is making an attempt to make Insulin more affordable. Trump made it so pharmacies can’t charge seniors more than $35 at the counter.
The invention of “biosimilar” Insulin could also help save diabetics from spending all of their money on Insulin.
Too many people have suffered a loss in the family due to addiction. Prescription drugs should be for people who absolutely need them. They shouldn’t be for getting through the inconveniences of life. They shouldn’t be used for minor pain and soreness. Oxycodone, Aderall, Xanax, and Percosets are highly concentrated and intense mind altering drugs. Before you take any of them you should consider all other options.
To solve the problems with prescription drugs in America, physicians should be encouraged to hand out herbal remedies more often. CBD, the medical compound in marijuana, can be used to treat many ailments. CBD is exceptionally good at dulling pain and promoting relaxation.
Instead of prescribing percosets and xanax doctors should prescribe a patient CBD first. Doing this can fix a lot of issues that America faces with its prescription drugs. It’s as simple as that.
Many of the states have legalized medical marijuana, so we are taking steps in the right direction.
Lastly, think before you ask for a prescription. It could lead you to a life of addiction and suffering. If you or anyone you know is suffering from drug addiction call an addiction hotline: 1–800–662–4357.
