Tighter Rein on Painkillers

F.D.A. Urging a Tighter Rein on Painkillers

New York Times- Oct. 24, 2013

 

1.   http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/business/fda-seeks-tighter-control-on-prescriptions-for-class-of-painkillers.html?src=me&ref=general

2.     Category of Issue: Business / Health

3.     Level of Issue: National

4.     The article is concerning a potential policy that is being considered to help a problem/issue that individuals/families face

5.     This article is important to individuals/families because of two reasons. The first reason is that too many people have excess to drugs that they do not need and this policy would prevent that from happening as frequently. The second reason is that the cost of healthcare is increasing, which would make it more difficult for people who are in need of these drugs to get them.

6.     You used to hear about OxyContin a lot more than you do now and I imagine it used to be a lot easier to get on the streets before tighter regulations were enforced. Now, it’s hydrocodone that everyone has. If you had your wisdom teeth removed or you’re in a lot of pain because you threw your back out, “No problem! I can call you in a prescription for that.” More cases than not, there is a valid need for consumers to be taking this narcotic painkiller; however, it is typically given in amounts larger than needed. This makes it easier for consumers to get a hold of it when they need it again, but it also makes it extremely easy for it to get in the wrong hands. The FDA is calling for tighter control on these prescriptions, though. I believe this will affect individuals for two reasons. First of all, this will cause an extremely huge inconvenience to patients who are actually in need of these prescriptions. For some doctors, it is difficult to get a timely appointment, or some patients may even have to drive a ways to see the doctor. In addition, it may even make the waiting list to get into these doctors even longer if everyone has to make appointments. On the other hand though, as stated in the article, of all drug overdose deaths in the US, three quarters are due to prescription drugs (majority of them containing hydrocodone) In order to save quite a few lives (or at least prevent this cause of death), it may be a good idea to put tighter regulations on these narcotic prescription drugs.