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Many older Americans are prescribed opioids because they can not afford alternative treatment.
According to a University study in Buffalo released this week, among Americans aged 65 and older, the poorest are the most likely to have used prescription opioids. "The poor had an opioid use rate about twice as high as the wealthier ones," said Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk, an assistant professor in the department of sociology at the university and author of the study. "It's the poor who disproportionately rely on these drugs – and it's not always easy for them to switch to other ways of dealing with chronic pain."
"It's the poor who disproportionately rely on these drugs – and it's not always easy for them to switch to other ways of dealing with chronic pain."
The uses of opiates carry long-term risks, even if they are used exactly as prescribed, said Grol-Prokopczyk. These risks include increased risk of depression, suppression of the immune system, and increased mortality from causes other than overdose, including cardiovascular and respiratory events. "Policies and practices need to ensure that disadvantaged groups receive information about the risks of opioids and access to other treatments for pain," she said.
The study was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences and was based on the responses of 3,721 participants in the nationally representative 2005-2006 Prescription Drug Study. These data were collected during the "peak period of opioid consumption" in the United States, said Grol-Prokopczyk. "Participants also reported that their pain level was mild, moderate or severe and gave their opinion about the prescription drugs they used," she added.
Older, low-income Americans may not be able to afford alternative care or surgery, which means they will not or will not need opioid prescriptions or will not be able to afford them. maybe not going to clinics for regular care. "Some pain researchers say that the country is simultaneously experiencing an opioid crisis and an under-treated pain crisis," she said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend alternatives to opioids wherever possible, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen, as well as cognitive and physical therapies.
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Earlier this year, US General Jerome Adams said more people should be carriers of naloxone, a drug that aims to reduce the effects of an opioid overdose by restoring a person's breathing capacity. It is approved by the Food and Drug Administration and can be given nasally or by injection. It is a temporary solution, but it can save valuable time before the arrival of an ambulance. "Every day, we lose 115 Americans for an opioid overdose," he said. "It's a person every 12.5 minutes."
About 2.1 million people in the United States are battling opioid addiction. The number of opioid overdose deaths doubled between 2010 and 2016, rising to 42,000, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The rate of drug overdose deaths in 2015 was more than 2.5 times higher than in 1999, in part because of the drop in the price of heroin and the accessibility of prescription drugs. Opioid overdoses jumped 30% between July 2016 and September 2017 in 52 regions in 45 states, the CDC said. They grew 70% in the Midwest and grew 54% in the country's largest cities.
The economic cost of the opioid crisis in 2015 was $ 504 billion, much higher than previous estimates, according to a recent report by the Council of Economic Advisers of the President's Executive Office. Opioids include prescription pills (including Vicodin and Oxycontin), as well as heroin and fentanyl. Last year, President Trump officially declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency.
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