After watching the series *Dopesick*, I felt a deep sense of depression, sorrow, and helplessness that lingered for an entire day. The blatant abuse of power, greed, and callousness portrayed in the series clearly led to countless lives being lost. The backlash from the misuse of oxycodone, fentanyl, and other opioids is enough to make any rational person fear the potential for addiction. This concern applies equally to patients, psychiatrists, psychopharmacologists, doctors, and pharmacists.
The opioid crisis has created trauma on two levels for the country. The first is obvious—everyone, regardless of their profession, needs to be highly concerned about addiction to these controlled substances. It’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what addiction actually means, and in this section, we’ll define it precisely. In short, addiction doesn’t mean that a patient will need medication for life. It is wise to follow the FDA-approved guidelines for each specific medication, and not let our fears or ego get in the way of what will be our best choice to live our life supporting sleep, mood equilibrium and minimizing chronic pain.
Due to the widespread misuse of opioids, many patients—and even doctors—are now afraid to use this entire class of medications, even when they are medically necessary and there’s no adequate alternative. Personally, I’ve seen over 100 people suffer because they couldn’t access proper medications following surgeries, chronic neurological conditions, or severe sleep disorders when traditional medications failed. I’m certain that millions of people in the U.S. are suffering due to this overcorrection. We need to carefully review prescribing practices, which might include obtaining a second informed consent from a therapist or primary care doctor and reviewing the patient’s psychological history for any signs of addiction.
Millions of patients are currently given pain relievers like Tylenol or Advil, which are ineffective for managing severe pain in the long term. Fortunately, the government has implemented surveillance systems to monitor the dispensing of controlled substances (in states like California and many others), ensuring that patients can’t doctor-hop and potentially develop an addiction. This is a major victory for both the government and patients.
However, there is now so much fear among healthcare providers, both consciously and unconsciously, that they often prescribe alternative medications that don’t adequately manage pain. I know of countless cases where individuals have endured months of severe pain and had no choice but to seek emergency care to get appropriate pain relief after conditions that fully warranted stronger medications.
More pain-relief medications need to be dispensed when proper research and patient interviews are conducted. Patients also need to advocate more strongly for themselves, as the alternative is enduring weeks or months of intolerable pain. Additionally, there must be a better understanding that many opioids and similar pain medications are safe to use for several weeks, and in some severe cases, even months—this is within FDA guidelines. Unfortunately, many doctors are now overly cautious, leading to an epidemic of unnecessary pain. This section will clarify the nature of addiction, the excessive caution of many doctors, and the importance of patients understanding what real addiction is. It is essential reading for anyone experiencing or anticipating pain or serious sleep issues or for those who know someone in such a situation.
Moreover, providing psychological support is crucial to help people recognize that pain or sleeplessness isn’t their fault. We’ll explore different ways to support ourselves and others through these all-too-common challenges.
The Global Bridge Foundation is committed to advocating for as many people as possible, assisting them in communicating with doctors to ensure they receive the best medication practices, especially for those without a history of addiction. We aim to offer communication tools that enhance care and support those in need.