Lauffenburger 1

Lauffenburger, John

Dr. Colombo

UWRT 1104-392

13 February 2017

Are Physicians Overprescribing Painkillers?

CDC. Prescribing Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 20 Dec. 2016, www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing.html.

This article provides raw data and analysis from the CDC, covering the number of sales of

prescription opioids, what groups of people (i.e. gender, ethnicity, and age) are more likely to

abuse them, which states are prescribing more opioids, and how most prescription opioid abusers

obtain their pills.

Manza, Jeff. Social Structure. The Sociology Project 2.0: Introducing the Sociological

Imagination, Pearson, Boston, 2016,

revel.pearson.com/#/courses/57bca042e4b03624bc37ad9f/player?

pageId=a94d8962770daa8cc1dc0f2df2a6d0477be5ecd3b-id_toc264.

This chapter in a textbook provides necessary evidence for the consequences of individuals

outside of the abuser or addict. This text dissects the potential endangerments to the life course

of the abuser or addict as well as their friends and family.

McMillan, Steve. Overprescribing Opioids - Unreasoned Expectations and Underestimated

Risks Underpin Epidemic. Reactions Weekly, vol. 1445, no. 1, 2013, pp. 34. Academic

Search Complete, doi:10.1007/s40278-013-2139-5. Accessed 17 Feb. 2017.

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This article commentates on the argument for supporting stricter regulations for obtaining

prescription painkillers. It discusses the benefits of passing stricter regulations because it would

make it harder for illegitimate patients to obtain these drugs.

Nygaard, Egil, et al. Behavior and Attention Problems in Eight-Year-Old Children with Prenatal

Opiate and Poly-Substance Exposure: A Longitudinal Study. Plos One, vol. 11, no. 6,

2016. Academic Search Complete, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158054. Accessed 18 Feb.

2017.

This is an article that commentates on a study released, revealing the behavioral, attention

problems, and lower cognitive function problems experienced by children who were exposed to

opioids during pregnancy as opposed to their peers who were not exposed during pregnancy.

"Opioid Rx Linked To Heroin Use Later." Running & Fitnews 33.6 (2015): 7-8. Academic

Search Complete. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

This article discusses the dangers of prescribing opioids before twelfth grade as there is a

significant increase risk of opioid misuse later in life.

"SAMHSA: 400 Percent Increase In Prescription Painkiller Admissions." Alcoholism & Drug

Abuse Weekly 22.27 (2010): 1-3. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

This article states that there was a four hundred percent increase in treatment admissions in the

decade from 1998-2008 and the evidence shows a correlation between patients with coexisting

psychiatric disorders.

Sheperd, Joanna. Combating the Prescription Painkiller Epidemic: A National Prescription Drug

Reporting Program. American Journal of Law and Medicine, vol. 40, no. 1, 1 Mar. 2014,

pp. 85112. CrossRef,

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journals.sagepub.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/doi/abs/10.1177/009885881404000103?

journalCode=jlma&volume=40&year=2014&issue=1. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

This article unearths some of the reasons for why prescription painkiller abuse is the fastest

growing drug problems in the United States: drug abusers are doctor shopping, paying with cash,

and filling their prescriptions in different states. It also blames unethical physicians who give out

prescriptions for their own profit and ethical physicians for lacking adequate training to

recognize and address prescription drug abuse to patients with illegitimate medical conditions.

Singal, Sam. Nightly News Full Broadcast (January 8th). NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,

NBC, 8 Jan. 2017, www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/nation-s-heroin-epidemic-

taking-unprecedented-toll-on-newborns-850370627951. Accessed 19 Feb. 2017.

This television broadcast covers the pervasiveness of opiate-addicted babies, giving concerning

statistics. It also gives the issue a personal touch, allowing the audience to have empathy for

those affected.