If you have ever had painful condition, most likely you have taken one of the opioid drugs...and some may take these drugs for chronic pain. You might know that one of the big side effects of the opioids is constipation.
Recently some drugs have been developed and FDA approved for this condition. OIC (opioid induced constipation), as it's called is now a medical condition that stems from chronic opioid use.
According to the drug manufacturers, the solution to the problem is...to take a second medication for a problem that's caused by the original medication!
I'm sure the people reading this blog have many different opinions about this. Personally, I think that the only time chronic opioid therapy is appropriate is for people with terminal illnesses. And for them, I guess these OIC drugs are a blessing. When your lifetime is going to be shortened by a painful terminal illness, it's not unreasonable to do whatever is needed to minimize discomfort... Addiction is not an issue for these people...after all, they are terminally ill.
But what about the rest of us? The drug manufacturers advertise for OIC products as if this a perfectly normal problem and these drugs are a perfectly normal solution for anyone who takes chronic opioid medications for any medical condition. They spend a lot of money to get these drugs to market, so their goal is to sell the product to recapture money they've invested and maybe make some profit. Their goal, after all, is to make money. Period.
This approach of using one drug to cover up a problem stemming from another drug is not new. But is it a good idea? It may end up that a patient ends up taking two or three drugs instead of just one drug when this line of thinking is used. We all are aware how expensive many of the prescription drug products are these days. And what about the other possible side effects that may stem from such a complex medication regimen? Would it not be better to discontinue the opioid drug since that's what is causing the problem in the first place-- and try another approach? After all, there are countless other alternatives!
 |
| Image source:Flickr |
Recently some drugs have been developed and FDA approved for this condition. OIC (opioid induced constipation), as it's called is now a medical condition that stems from chronic opioid use.
According to the drug manufacturers, the solution to the problem is...to take a second medication for a problem that's caused by the original medication!
I'm sure the people reading this blog have many different opinions about this. Personally, I think that the only time chronic opioid therapy is appropriate is for people with terminal illnesses. And for them, I guess these OIC drugs are a blessing. When your lifetime is going to be shortened by a painful terminal illness, it's not unreasonable to do whatever is needed to minimize discomfort... Addiction is not an issue for these people...after all, they are terminally ill.
But what about the rest of us? The drug manufacturers advertise for OIC products as if this a perfectly normal problem and these drugs are a perfectly normal solution for anyone who takes chronic opioid medications for any medical condition. They spend a lot of money to get these drugs to market, so their goal is to sell the product to recapture money they've invested and maybe make some profit. Their goal, after all, is to make money. Period.
This approach of using one drug to cover up a problem stemming from another drug is not new. But is it a good idea? It may end up that a patient ends up taking two or three drugs instead of just one drug when this line of thinking is used. We all are aware how expensive many of the prescription drug products are these days. And what about the other possible side effects that may stem from such a complex medication regimen? Would it not be better to discontinue the opioid drug since that's what is causing the problem in the first place-- and try another approach? After all, there are countless other alternatives!
Comments
Post a Comment