Used to treat moderate-to-severe pain, prescription opioids can be very beneficial for those who are recovering from surgery or injuries. They are also helpful for those with chronic health conditions such as cancer. Unfortunately, prescription opioids are also frequently abused by people who were not prescribed the medications. This has resulted in a large number of overdose-related deaths and other issues related to addiction.
What is the Problem?
As opioids became an increasingly popular type of medication to prescribe for pain relief, the number of prescriptions reached into the millions. In fact, more than 191 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in the United States in 2017. While many of these individuals likely did need the medication to help cope with the pain that they were experiencing, far too many of these pills got into the hands of people who abused them.
What are the Most Common Opioids?
Opioids can be both prescription and nonprescription. Heroin, for example, is a nonprescription, illegal type of opioid. While there are several different types of prescription opioids, the three that are most commonly involved with opioid overdose deaths include:
- Methadone
- Oxycodone (such as OxyContin)
- Hydrocodone (such as Vicodin)
Therefore, one step that needs to be taken to reverse this trend is to find other ways to treat pain that do not involve the use of opioids.
How is Opioid Addiction Treated?
There are several different types of treatment programs that can be used to address opioid addiction. At Advanced Spine & Rehab, we utilize Suboxone along with counseling and behavioral therapy to help treat opioid addiction. Contact us today to learn more!