Trends of Opioid Overdoses and Overdose Deaths over the past 10 years in the United States

Trends of Opioid Overdoses and Overdose Deaths
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Trends of Opioid Overdoses and Overdose Deaths over the past 10 years in the United States
Abstract
Recent research has revealed an increase in opioid overdoses and deaths related to the same, making this a serious public health problem in the United States. The rates in the mortality and morbidity related to these drugs have been on the increase in the last two decades. The effects of the problem are major, including emergency cases and deaths of the affected persons. The trend highlights the need for policy actions and interventions to prevent the overdoses and related deaths. Prevention is the most effective intervention as it will address the problem before it occurs. There are intervention policies that are in place at the local, state and federal levels, although they have not been effective in reversing the trend. Thus, it is important for more effective actions, which are based on an understanding of the factors relating to the problem. This paper will seek to review these factors and identify effective solutions for current problems and possible future issues as well.
Introduction
Among the primary public health problems in the United States is the epidemic of opioid overdoses and overdose deaths. There is a remarkable rise in the number of drugs being prescribed that have the capability of being habitually used and also addictive and also an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs by the public (Cheatle, 2015).

Besides the prescribers who prescribe the drugs that tend to be abused, abuse by the people suggests consumption of drugs in a higher amount than prescribed, use in a way or for another purpose than the one prescribed, or taking drugs meant for someone else
From the beginning of the 21st century, there has been reported an increase in the rates of individuals overdosing drugs in the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been analyzing the current cause-of-death mortality information to reveal the characteristics as well as trends in opioid overdoses (Okie, 2010). It is estimated that 6.1 million individuals in the US misuse or abuse these drugs. Abuse of prescription drugs, such as prescription opioid pain relievers, results from their availability, even through the legitimate prescription of addictive drugs and the belief that they are much safer compared to illegal drugs as they are prescribed for use by health care professionals. The abuse is associated with motivation or intention to seek a euphoric or pleasant feeling resulting from the drug. Abuse of these drugs, particularly painkillers, has been revealed to have severe effects on health and can even cause death.
Due to the serious dangers related to the abuse of the drugs and the effects including deaths, it is a topic that is worth investigating further. The purpose of the current research should focus on understanding the trends in the overdoses of opioid and the deaths resulting to the same for the purpose of seeking interventions to reverse the trend. The hypothesis underlying the study is that by understanding the trends including the factors involved in the vulnerability to abuse, it is possible to come up with effective interventions. Such results can be used in developing policies underlying the use of prescription drugs to ensure that they are not readily available to a point where they are likely to be abused.
Literature review
Current Data
Recent research evidence has indicated an alarming rate of the use of prescription pain relievers in the United States. Abuse of the drugs emerges where the person uses the drug for other reasons outside treatment of any ailment. It is estimated that annually, an average of 4.8 percent of individuals 12 years or older have used such a drug for a reason that is not medical between 2002 and 2005 (Hall et al. 2008). Dowell et al., (2016) suggests that deaths related to an overdose of prescription opioids together with heroin have been approximated to over 28,000 individuals in the country. These are the majority of deaths from drug poisoning-related causes. Deaths resulting from the abuse of prescription painkillers, particularly those prescribed by health service providers to deal with chronic pain, have gone up four times and currently outnumber the deaths resulting from cocaine and heroin combined.
Factors Underlying the Abuse
Different causes of the abuse and deaths resulting from the abuse of opioid have been established in research (Webster et al., 2011). The factors are either intentional or unintentional use of the drugs. Among the unintentional abuse of the drugs are errors made in a prescription of the drugs which cause one to use them without knowing that they are abusing. Some of the prescribing physicians do not have adequate knowledge on the correct doses of the drug. As a result, they give wrong doses which result to the abuse or even death. Another important factor is patient-related, where the patient fails to adhere to the prescription, resulting in abuse of the drugs. The problem could also result from unanticipated clinical and psychological health comorbidities, such as substance use disorders. Use of the drugs together with others, such as central nervous system-depressant drugs could lead to abuse and even death.
Han et al., (2015) suggests that there has been a decrease in the rates of abuse of opioid for non-medical reasons. The idea is that the abuse of the drugs for medical purposes has been on the increase. Similar findings are recorded by Cicero, Ellis & Harney (2015) who suggests a decline in the deaths resulting from the non-medical use of Opioid. However, Cheatle (2015) counters the findings by arguing that there still remains a major problem associated with deaths resulting from non-medical use of opioid primarily in West Virginia in 2006. Clearly, there remain high rates of deaths from abuse of opioid, whether non-medical or diversion of pharmaceuticals. Among the factors leading to the problem is availability, which makes the health service provider responsible for the problem. Opioids, depressants, and stimulants are the most prescribed and thus, the most common and commonly abused. The increase of the prescription drugs in the market and the increased marketing and promotion has increased the potential of the drugs to be abused. Prescription drugs are not associated with legal and ethical implications as they are considered safely prescribed by the professionals. Thus, some people will abuse prescription drugs to avoid the consequences associated with using illegal drugs.
Effects of the Abuse
There are costly effects of treating abusers of prescription drugs which cannot be overemphasized, as well as loss of productivity in the community. If the problem is not addressed, the effects will continue to increase in the future, as suggested by organizations such as the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and CDC. This has led to the problem being a top priority for public health and the need for policy makers to come up with policy solutions. Recent studies have revealed that there is an increase in the cases within the ER resulting from overdose of prescription opioid pain relievers. The medical burden for individuals and health care system in general is overwhelming.
The most serious effect of abuse of the prescription drugs is death. The National Center for Health Statistics has revealed recent data which indicate that deaths resulting from overdose of drugs have been on the increase for the 11th year in a row by 2010. The increase in the deaths has been driven by abuse of opioid analgesics (Jones, Mack & Paulozzi, 2013). Dart et al., (2015) has supported the argument by providing the actual data on the deaths in the country from abuse of prescription opioid medications. From the data, in 2010, during the previous two decades, there were about 16,651 deaths related to opioid abuse.
Current Efforts to Reverse the Problem
It is clear that there is a problem in the United States in relation to abuse of prescription drug, and one that should be addressed as a matter of urgency. There are various groups and individuals that have a stake in the outcome of this policy debate, and are making efforts to address it. In reaction to the seriousness of the problem, there have been hundreds of interventions at the local, state and federal levels (Dart et al., 2015). Prevention plans have been adopted in addressing the problem of prescription drug abuse, and the responsibility for implementation mostly lies with health service providers. The effectiveness of the solution is founded on the avoidance of the problem before it occurs. Efforts should in place to train care providers and the users on the dangers and the need to prevent abuse and overdose (Okie, 2010). Education for the involved parties is effective as it will allow them to understand what to avoid and what to do in prescribing and use of the drugs.
The efforts have failed in the past due to inadequacy of the education materials and strategies that are used. Webster et al., (2011) suggests that interventions can only succeed where there is adequate understanding of the multifaceted factors associated with opioid-related abuse and deaths. Thus, policies ought to concentrate on the factors such as patient contributory factors, prescriber behaviors, nonmedical patterns of use, as well as systemic failures. At the policy level, the current law, the Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 2011 could be strengthened to ensure that this objective is met.
References
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Cicero, T. J., Ellis, M. S., & Harney, J. (2015). Shifting patterns of prescription opioid andheroin abuse in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 373(18), 17891790.
Dart, R. C., Surratt, H. L., Cicero, T. J., Parrino, M. W., Severtson, S. G., Bucher-Bartelson, B., & Green, J. L. (2015). Trends in opioid analgesic abuse and mortality in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(3), 241-248.
Dowell, D., Zhang, K., Noonan, R. K., & Hockenberry, J. M. (2016). Mandatory Provider Review And Pain Clinic Laws Reduce The Amounts Of Opioids Prescribed And Overdose Death Rates. Health Affairs, 35(10), 1876-1883.
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Han, B., Compton, W. M., Jones, C. M., & Cai, R. (2015). Nonmedical prescription opioid use and use disorders among adults aged 18 through 64 years in the United States, 2003-2013. JAMA, 314(14), 1468-1478.
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