We’ve often cautioned about the increase of opiate painkiller dependency in the U.S., and many of you may have experienced first-hand the devastation that these medications can cause. An alarming report just released from the Associated Press (AP) is validating what many of us already suspected, that sales and use of prescription painkillers, like oxycodone and hydrocodone, have grown dramatically over the last decade and their use is exploding in new parts of the country.
Many of us are aware of how popular prescription medications have become, but this AP report clearly shows that overuse of prescription painkillers is spreading across the country at a very rapid rate. Throughout the Midwest and Appalachia distribution of oxycodone and hydrocodone has started to balloon out of control, growing by as much a sixteen times from 2000-2010. The data from the AP report also showed that in 2010 pharmacies nationwide received and dispensed enough pure oxycodone and hydrocodone to give every person in the U.S. 40 5mg pills of Percocet and 24 5mg pills of Vicodin; the equivalent of 69 tons of pure oxycodone and 42 tons of pure hydrocodone.
When you stop to process the finding from this report, the implications are frightening. Many regions still do not have an adequate number of facilities that treat oxycodone and hydrocodone addiction for the volume of patients who need help. Unfortunately, without proper support and assistance many of these individuals may end up continuing the cycle of addiction or even risk overdose. For anyone who has experienced opioid painkiller dependency or been close to someone afflicted by the condition, it is unsettling to think of the number of people who have become dependent on these drugs and are unable to obtain assistance.
If you suspect you or someone you know may be experiencing dependency to prescription painkillers, we urge you to contact your medical physicians. For more information on choosing an opiate detox program, please feel free to contact our office directly. WAISMANN METHOD treatment is a safe and proven protocol for opiate dependency that utilizes the most advanced medical techniques available. The rapid opiate detoxification procedure is carried out in a full-service hospital in Southern California by board-certified anesthesiologists while patients remain under deep sedation, so they experience minimal conscious withdrawal or suffering.
