Surgeons want you to take fewer opioids

 Posted on December 13, 2017 in Drug Charges

A conglomerate of University of Michigan surgeons want you to take fewer opioids after your surgery. The surgeons believe that any opportunity to prevent someone from coming to contact with an opioid is an opportunity to prevent a potential addiction.

Approximately 64,000 people died from opioid abuse in 2016, prompting the White House to classify the widespread opioid problem as a "public health emergency." As a potential remedy to this emergency, surgeons believe they can improve the problem by not giving patients as many opioid pills after their surgeries -- as this is when most people get introduced to the drug as a painkiller that leads to numerous addictions.

Surgeons believe that this is the best course of action to make a small dent in the problem. They say that doctors often don't prescribe opioids with a high degree of exactitude after surgery, meaning that some patients are receiving much more than they actually need. They say that patients also need better education regarding the appropriate use of opioids so they can stay safe.

Surgeons at the University of Michigan carried out a study of patients who had gallbladder surgery and their use of opioids after the surgery. What they found was that patients prescribed 200 milligrams of opioids reported no additional pain or discomfort than patients who used 250 milligrams. There was also a lower chance of addiction and abuse.

A drug addiction is a disease, and it can take control of your life. Even worse, it can get you in trouble with the law. For people suffering from addiction, legal trouble is the last thing you need to add to your problems. However, by better understanding the law, you may be able to improve your legal situation through a well-organized, drug crimes defense.

Source: npr.org, "Surgeons Try Prescribing Fewer Opioids To Lower Addiction Risk," accessed Dec. 08, 2017