The Opioid Epidemic
Since drug companies, politicians, and doctors created the crisis, it’s up to them to clean it up as well. But, will they? What is the incentive for opioid manufacturers to hold back what they are making people crave, especially when there’s additional money to be made in opioid antidotes and substitutes for the hardest hitters? Why would members of Congress halt the gravy train that sends billions of dollars from drugmakers and lobbyists into campaign coffers?
Who can put an end to this insanity? The end prescriber and the end user. Healthcare providers need to know other ways to treat pain and debility than through opioids, and healthcare consumers need to arm themselves with knowledge of alternatives. It’s not that non-opioid options don’t exist — they do. It’s up to doctors and patients to seek more safe, effective, and non-addictive options together.