The Opioid Crisis in America: Everything You Need to Know

Answer 1 

Nabarun Dasgupta, Daniel Ciccarone, and Leo Beletsky in their article “Opioid Crisis: No Easy Fix to Its Social and Economic Determinants” affirm that the misuse of opioid analgesic in the United States of America (USA) is a significant problem today. The primary reason why many people abuse opioid is that it is affordable and used for pain management. Many physicians treat acute pain using propoxyphene or opioids. Since the drug is readily available in many pharmacies, individuals usually purchase it and use without the doctor’s prescriptions. The prevalence of chronic pain emanated from the increase of musculoskeletal disorders, chronic diseases such as cancer, surgery complexity, and obesity. 

Answer 2 

The first phase of the opioid epidemic began in the 1980s when many physicians used this drug or propoxyphene to manage acute pain. In particular, opioid was among the drugs that were commonly dispensed in the USA. Moreover, the revelation of the undertreated of chronic pain contributed to the policy shift, which increased the use of opioid. The second phase of opioid analgesic started in 2010. During this period, many people turned to heroin use and abuse of the prescribed pain relievers. Indeed, it was at this time that Oxy-Contin reformulation occurred that increased the percentage of individuals misusing opioid analgesic. The third stage kicked off in the late 2013 and progresses even today. The international supply of counterfeit pain management drugs has intensified. For example, fentanyl analogs led to the increase of deaths by 540% between 2013 and 2016 (Dasgupta, Beletsky, & Ciccarone, 2018). 

Answer 3 

Dasgupta, Beletsky, and Ciccarone connect poor health and the ongoing opioid crisis based on a report by the National Academy of Science. What the authors mean is that overprescribing opioid drugs was not the only reason for the increase in substance abuse. The lack of economic opportunity and poor working conditions also contributed to the increased percentage of people misusing opioid (Dasgupta, Beletsky, & Ciccarone, 2018). Specifically, the high rate of unemployment fosters despair and hopelessness to many individuals, particularly the youths. As such, these people have been left with no other option apart from abusing the easily available drugs. In the long run, since they have no money to feed themselves well, their health deteriorates. 

Answer 4 

The authors believe that the public can significantly contribute to eradicating the misuse of opioid analgesic. On that note, they emphasize the proper use of the prescribed drugs to avoid addiction. The public should comply with physicians’ instructions. Moreover, people are advised to get assistance from health professionals, such as therapists when they are stressed. They should not wait until their mental condition deteriorates to seek counseling. Specifically, the authors make it clear that there should be no racial bias about the group of people that are affected by the opioid epidemic. Minorities, whites, and people residing in urban or rural areas need to understand that they are responsible for eliminating the use of opioid analgesic. 

Answer 5 

All the authors of this article are professionals in different fields and heads of universities departments, which is the reason why they qualify to discuss the issue of opioid misuse. For example, Dasgupta works with the Research Center of Injury Prevention, North Carolina University, and the Pharmacy School of Eshelman. Beletsky works with Northeastern University, California University, San Diego Medicine School, and Bouve College of Health Sciences. Ciccarone heads the Family and Community Medicine Department at the University of California (Dasgupta, Beletsky, & Ciccarone, 2018). On that note, these authors understand well about the opioid issue, and that is the reason why they want to come up with a sustainable solution. 

Reference 

Dasgupta, N., Beletsky, L., & Ciccarone, D. (2018). Opioid crisis: No easy fix to its social and economic determinants. AJPH Perspectives, 108 (2), 182-186.