Are Patients or Doctors Responsible For Opioid Medication Abuse and Addiction?
Peggy Compton, RN, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the UCLA School of Nursing, Los Angeles and recently published an article online at Pain-Topics.org, “Should Opioid Abusers Be Discharged From Opioid-Analgesic Therapy?” Basically, she says that those who are using prescription opiates are in a precarious situation and that abruptly stopping their medication is dangerous. A thorough exit plan is a necessity when doctors take on the responsibility of prescribing opioid-based medications like Vicodin, Norco, Fentanyl, OxyContin and others.
She is also a proponent of the idea that doctors and not their patients should be held accountable for any abuse of prescription painkillers. She says, “Any practitioner prescribing opioids for chronic use should be accountable for having a strategy in place if medication abuse or addiction occurs. Providing daily opioid pain relievers without suitable addiction expertise or support in place puts both the pain-management practitioner and patient at risk for poor outcomes.”
Simply dropping someone from an opiate treatment therapy when there are risks of addiction can not only hurt the patient but their family and community as well. Compton proposes that because the risks of an unaided exit from opioid-based medications extend so far into society that the harm should also rebound back onto the prescribing doctor. Rather than denying those who need them the relief that opiate painkillers can provide, Compton instead believes that the prescribing doctor should also take on the treatment of addiction as well.
I agree with you, Ms. Compton! I believe that doctors who are licensed to prescribe opiates should also be required to become certified in the dispensation of buprenorphine. That way, the transition from high doses of painkillers back to reality can be smooth, a plan prepared for well ahead of time and discussed between doctor and patient.
Until that happens, however, we have Meditox, a stable of doctors who not only specialize in substance abuse treatment and addiction, but are also qualified to legally prescribe Suboxone to detox off of opiate pain medications. They’ll create a complete treatment plan, including your exit off of Suboxone so that you are not simply trading one addiction for another. If you find that you need more help with other aspects of addiction beyond the physical, your Meditox team are available to you any time of day or night. They can assist you with finding local support, therapists, doctors, and substance abuse specialists to help you make your way back to a drug-free life.
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