Health officials estimate that about one in four patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain will go on to misuse the drugs, and about one in 10 will become addicted to them.
Another misconception uncovered by the survey has to do with where the opioid crisis is occurring. When asked where the people most at risk for becoming addicted to opioids live, the largest proportion of the survey's respondents (37 percent) said urban areas.
Yet the reality is that small towns and rural areas have been hit even harder than cities by the crisis. In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the rates of deaths from drug overdoses in rural areas had surpassed those in urban areas.
The survey also found that most Americans (79 percent) believe that opioids are primarily intended for the treatment of chronic pain. Thirty-one percent of the survey's respondents said they had used prescription opioids for that purpose.
Yet, as the Mayo Clinic points out on its website, research has shown that opioids are most effective for acute, or short-term, pain from a traumatic injury, such as a broken bone or surgery. In those cases, the drugs are supposed to be used at the lowest dose possible and for only a few days.
Studies have also found that patients who take opioids for chronic pain become tolerant to the drugs over time, diminishing their effectiveness. Patients then need ever-increasing doses of the drugs to achieve the same amount of pain relief — a situation that can lead to dependence and addiction.
In addition, the survey found that Americans are not following safe practices when disposing of their unused opioid medications. Only one in four of the respondents said they had received instructions from their health care provider or pharmacist about what to do with leftover pills, and about the same low percentage said they had participated in a drug-disposal program.
Some of the survey's respondents said they had flushed unused opioids down the toilet (17 percent) or had tossed them in the garbage (17 percent). Most (30 percent) said, however, they had kept leftover pills in their home medicine cabinet — a dangerous practice because the drugs might then get into the hands of young children or someone who is already addicted to them.
The safest way to dispose of unused opioid medications — or other prescription drugs — is to drop them off at one of the sites approved for such collections by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The DEA also sponsors a "National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day" twice a year. The next one is this Saturday, Oct. 27. You can find a collection site near you by simply plugging your ZIP code into the NEA's website.
"That's a great way for people to dispose of unused medications," said Gazelka.
FMI: You can read more about this and other Mayo Clinic National Health Checkup surveys on the Mayo Clinic's website.
Submitted by Pat Berg on 10/23/2018 - 03:39 pm.
Let's talk about the nurses as well as the doctors. On more than one occasion after surgery, I have been pushed by the nurses to begin taking opioid pain medication when I was not yet in any significant discomfort because supposedly I needed to "get ahead of the pain". And I'm not exaggerating when I say I was pushed – the nurses keep after you to take some even when you flat out tell them you don't want to until and unless you feel you actually need it.
When people express a desire NOT to take opioids (or to take them only at a lower level) this should be respected by the ENTIRE health care team if they're truly serious about avoiding the possibility of pushing people towards addiction.