Opioids
In Reply II—Root Causes of Opioid Crisis
Dr Pendyal highlights an important point that the opioid crisis is much bigger than just the “supply side” of the problem. It is truly a biological-psychological-social-spiritual problem that impacts both the “supply side” and the “demand side.”1 However, in his description of the social factors, of which there are many, he too fails to acknowledge many of the drivers of the opioid crisis. Many of the drivers go beyond “unemployment, poverty, and wealth inequality,” with an increasing number of those dying from opioids being employed, middle- and upper-class individuals.How Good Intentions Contributed to Bad Outcomes: The Opioid Crisis
The opioid crisis that exists today developed over the past 30 years. The reasons for this are many. Good intentions to improve pain and suffering led to increased prescribing of opioids, which contributed to misuse of opioids and even death. Following the publication of a short letter to the editor in a major medical journal declaring that those with chronic pain who received opioids rarely became addicted, prescriber attitude toward opioid use changed. Opioids were no longer reserved for treatment of acute pain or terminal pain conditions but now were used to treat any pain condition.
