New studies suggest medical opioid prescriptions are not what drives the opioid epidemic. When opioids get hard to find, people prone to substance abuse switch to other drugs. So there is no proof that cutting prescriptions lowers overdose deaths.
Summary: In the last few years, the opioid epidemic has caused more deaths than street drugs. So everyone was quick to blame doctors and drug companies. Opioids are the strongest painkillers. Without them, patients may suffer severe pain. Yet police agencies keep pushing doctors to prescribe fewer opioids. Now new studies suggest that medical prescriptions may have nothing to do with the opioid epidemic. Even if opioids get hard to find, people prone to substance abuse will switch to other drugs. So there is no proof that fewer opioid prescriptions would mean fewer overdose deaths. It will only change the name of the drug behind the overdose crisis.
Prescription drugs have caused many deaths in the last ten years or so. Nearly all of these deaths came from overdose and misuse. Everyone seems to blame doctors and the drug industry for the epidemic. Many think the epidemic came from doctors prescribing these drugs too widely. They say this caused opioid addiction and more misuse of these drugs.
Opioids are among the strongest painkillers. In many medical conditions, pain is hard to control without them. If doctors stopped prescribing these drugs completely, pain would go poorly treated, and patients would suffer other health harms.
But new studies suggest that doctors who prescribe opioids may have nothing to do with the epidemic. In one study, researchers followed patients who got opioids for the first time for severe pain. After six months, less than one percent of the patients still used opioids on a steady basis.
Do people prescribed opioids for pain become addicted?
This is not the first study to show that prescriptions are not to blame for today’s epidemic. A larger study ran in the respected journal BMJ. Researchers looked at data on 560,000 patients who had never taken opioids before and got them for pain relief. Over the long run, only about 0.6% were misusing opioids.
Many studies show no link between opioid misuse and what doctors prescribe. So when doctors prescribe these drugs for pain relief, it adds little to the opioid epidemic. It also means other, less-known factors are driving this epidemic.
New data shows doctors have nothing to do with the opioid epidemic. Even so, lawmakers and police agencies keep pushing doctors to stop prescribing these drugs or to use them sparingly. Doctors think that cutting prescriptions would lower their patients’ quality of life. In many cases, the US may end up like some developing nations.
Because police agencies are pushing doctors, the CDC even put out a statement. It said agencies should stop misreading its guidelines. The CDC says doctors should use caution when prescribing these drugs. But doctors are in the best position to decide when to prescribe and when not to.
In real life, things are more complicated. For example, even after the CDC spoke up, pharmacies still do not give patients enough opioids.
Researchers also noted that limiting opioids may help lower opioid overdose rates. But it would not reduce substance abuse and the deaths it causes. Most people who misuse substances would switch to something else, like fentanyl or heroin.
Also, since regulators began discouraging doctors from prescribing opioids, many other street drugs have come back. Methamphetamine misuse has risen sharply in the last few years.
Experts say police agencies should focus on their war on drugs instead of pushing doctors and pharmacists. Pushing doctors will not reduce substance abuse. All it does is make people with addiction or substance misuse disorder switch to another drug. The name of the harmful drug keeps changing. But the total deaths from substance misuse or overdose stay the same.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main cause of the opioid crisis?
New studies suggest it is not doctors prescribing opioids for pain. Researchers followed patients who got opioids for the first time for six months. Fewer than one percent still used them on a steady basis. Many studies show no link between prescribing and misuse. That points to other, less-known factors driving the epidemic, not the prescription pad.
Does cutting opioid prescriptions reduce overdose deaths?
There is no proof that it does. Limiting opioids may lower opioid overdose rates. But most people who misuse substances switch to something else, such as fentanyl or heroin. Methamphetamine misuse has also risen since doctors were discouraged from prescribing. The name of the harmful drug keeps changing, while total deaths from substance misuse and overdose stay the same.
Why do doctors still prescribe opioids for pain?
Opioids are among the strongest painkillers, and in many conditions pain is hard to control without them. If doctors stopped prescribing them completely, patients would face poorly treated pain and other health harms. Doctors worry that cutting prescriptions lowers their patients’ quality of life. They are in the best position to decide when opioids are needed.
What has the CDC said about limits on opioid prescribing?
As police pressure on doctors grew, the CDC put out a statement. It said agencies should stop misreading its guidelines. The CDC still advises caution when prescribing these drugs. But doctors are best placed to decide when to prescribe and when not to. In practice, pharmacies still do not give patients enough opioids.
Related reading
Opioid Overdose Epidemic During the COVID-19 Pandemic · Prescription Opioids Still Fuel the Opioid Crisis · Prescription Opioid Misuse in Young Adults at Record Low · Opioid Addiction Treatment in St. Louis