Millions of Americans are affected by the problem of drug abuse every year which results in health, mental, and relationship problems. However, it is important to note that behind every problem related to addiction, there exist different motivations and factors that drive an individual. On the other hand, there is a great variation in the type of drugs that are abused by different individuals. Some of the common factors that result in the addiction problem include anxiety and depression, peer pressure, lack of options, loneliness, and prescription drugs. On prescription drugs, some of these drugs pose a very great risk to addiction due to the capability to cause dependence due to the flooding of the dopamine receptors in the brain. With this regard, the following paper examines the role or the contribution made by pharmaceuticals and healthcare systems in today’s growing addiction.
What is addiction, and how is it acquired?
Addiction can be regarded as a progressive disease that is associated loss of control in an individual over the use of a certain drug which results in the continuous use of a drug despite having knowledge on some of the harmful effects that may be caused by the drug. This problem is associated with compulsion, which is the inability of an individual to resist the use of the drug. For the average user of a specific drug, quitting is not hard; however, the continued use of a drug increases the risks of succumbing to the desire to use the drug. With continued use of the drug, the level of intoxication in the brain increases eventually leading to chemical dependence that is full-blown. By this time, individuals naturally construct a wall of denial against themselves. Another perspective that best explains these concepts of drug abuse is the approach that perceives this condition as a brain disease (Medlineplus, 2018). This approach focuses on the reward system and argument that is made is that the brains of normal individuals are entirely different from the brains of the individuals with an addiction problem eventually results to the continued use of the drug.
Laws involved
The FDA enforces various roles that have been enacted by congress to help in protecting the consumer’s health and safety. These laws ensure that all the drugs that are approved for the use of medication are safe and effective for the intended use. For instance, the Manual of policies and procedures (MaPPs) provides the instructions for the procedures that must be followed before the approval of a drug (FDA, 2019). According to help with an essay prescription of drugs in the US has also been under regulation since the 1970s. The Drug Enforcement Administration is one of the frameworks that regulate the operation of manufacturers and distributors of controlled substances. Today, DEA is in charge of policing and dispensing of substances that are sold including the drugs (Blake, 2015).
Opioids and Prescription Drugs abuse and addiction
Not all drugs that lead to addiction are prohibited by the law. Some of the prescription drugs also present a high risk of addiction. Opioids which are sometimes referred to as narcotics are also classified as some of the drugs that are commonly abused. They include drugs such as fentanyl, oxycodone, and tramadol among other drugs that are used as strong pain relievers. Some of these drugs are synthetic or manmade whereas others are manufactured from the opium plant (Diep, 2019). These drugs are usually safe when used for a short period of time and based on the prescription that is given by the physician. However, when an individual starts to use these drugs against the prescription that is given by the doctor, it results in the misuse of the drug.
The condition is similar to other drugs where the continued use of the drugs results in addiction and dependence on the drugs. At times, some of the individuals may be engaging in the wrong use of this drugs after receiving a prescription from a physician while at other times, individuals may illegally acquire these drugs off the counter with an intention of engaging in the wrong use of the drugs (Kirschner, 2014). The continued use of the drugs usually results in physical and mental dependence which is caused by flooding of the dopamine receptors that may be responsible for the long term use of the drug. Since these drugs can be easily bought in chemists and from hospitals, it has resulted in increased use of the drug among individuals in the United States and in other places around the world. The next section will examine the role that is played by pharmaceuticals and health care systems in today’s growing problem of drug abuse.
Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare systems, and drug addiction
Pharmaceutical industries are responsible the discovery, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of various drugs used as medications, vaccinations, and other purposes that are meant cure or alleviate symptoms that are associated with a certain disease. On the other hand, health care systems comprises of institutions, people, and resources that are used to administer health services to individuals. These two main bodies are the main players that are behind the problem of addiction arising from the wrong use of prescription drugs. Some of the major factors that result in the wrong use of these drugs include the prescribing patterns used by the physicals, diversion by the patient, and shopping behaviors adopted by the doctors (McGreal, 2019).
On the prescribing patterns used by the physicians, study has shown that individuals that have that experience chronic pain and have substance use disorder are prescribed opioids more often than other individuals without this problem. Another study that was also conducted on the healthcare systems showed that the rate of prescription among older patients especially women was high that in patients that have the problem of long-term chronic pain. The increased prescription of these drugs in some of the patients usually increases in the chances of the abuse of these drugs among the individuals that are involved. The issue is more serious in individuals that have an addiction problem. Most individuals will tend to use the drugs used for prescription for the wrong purpose to increase the intensity of the effects that are derived from the use of the drugs. On the other hand, if an individual has a problem with addiction, the prescription of the patient with drugs that can be abused increases the risks of the use of drugs. With the increased rate of prescription in specific patients with opioids, it increases the chances of diversion where patients may sell or share the drug with another person (Diep, 2019). This also has an effect in increasing the rate of cases of drug abuse.
Various players in the healthcare centers and pharmaceuticals have also contributed to the growing problem of drug abuse through the breaching of the ethical practices that they are supposed to abide by. For instance, most of the individuals working in healthcare institutions usually collaborate with individuals that have the intention of distributing the drugs meant for medicinal practices for their own personal motives of making profit. Most of the drugs that usually get to the hand of individuals that are abused are obtained illegally from the pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare institutions. This has a great effect in increasing the incidences of addiction among various subjects.
In addition, some of the individuals working in chemists and drug stores have developed a tendency of selling drugs to individuals without a verified prescription from a doctor. These practices are associated with the breaching of ethical practices that the individuals working in these areas are supposed to adhere to. The healthcare systems have also contributed to the problem of addiction as a result of the slow implementation of pharmacotherapies that are used in the treatment of addiction problems (Samet, 2015). There is a great challenge experienced in the integration of healthcare institutions with various forms of treatment used to treat addiction problems such as pharmacotherapy. This problem is mainly caused by the failure of healthcare institutions to commit resources for dealing with drug and substance abuse. For instance, extended-release injectable naltrexone, which is one of the drugs that has been approved by FDA, has been underutilized various programs that have been put in place to deal with the use of opioids (FDA, 2014).
In conclusion, it is clear that both the pharmaceuticals and healthcare systems have contributed to the problem of drug abuse in society. This mostly happens in relation to the abuse of the drugs that are used for medicinal purposes such as opioids. The various factors that have been highlighted include the prescribing patterns used by the physicians, diversion in patients, the failure to adhere to ethical practices, and slow implementation of measures that are used in the treatment of problems related to addiction. Therefore, sufficient regulatory measures should be put in place to ensure that individuals working in pharmaceuticals and in different healthcare institutions do not contribute to drug abuse. In addition, patients prescribed with drugs that have a high chance of being abused should be educated on the various effects that may arise with the wrong use of the drug. If you need further research or you are wondering, can I pay someone to do my online class, simply reach us.
References
Blake, V. (2015). Fighting Prescription Drug Abuse with Federal and State Law. Retrieved from https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/fighting-prescription-drug-abuse-federal-and-state-law/2013-05
Diep, F. (2019, April 3). Should We Blame Pharmaceutical Companies for America's Opioid Epidemic? Here's What the Science Says. Retrieved from https://psmag.com/news/should-we-blame-pharmaceutical-companies-for-americas-opioid-epidemic
FDA. (2014, December 4). Laws, Regulations, Policies and Procedures for Drug Applications. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-approval-process-drugs/laws-regulations-policies-and-procedures-drug-applications
FDA. (2019, October 21). Guidance, Compliance, & Regulatory Information. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidance-compliance-regulatory-information
Essay Help. Prescription Drug Abuse: Executive Summary of a Policy Position Paper From the Annals of Internal Medicine. Retrieved from https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/1788221/prescription-drug-abuse-executive-summary-policy-position-paper-from-american
McGreal, C. (2019, July 24). Capitalism gone wrong: how big pharma created America's opioid carnage. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/24/opioids-crisis-big-pharma-drugs-carnage
Medlineplus. (2018). Opioid Misuse and Addiction Treatment: MedlinePlus. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/opioidmisuseandaddictiontreatment.html
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