Greenlove24’s Weblog

I feel that Americans are overmedicated.  We go to the doctor for any ache or pain, modest or severe.  Generally speaking, we can get a medication for whatever symptoms we describe to a doctor.  We can say we feel like we are sick, and a prescription is whipped out to us.  Getting prescription medication is taken too lightly.  Doctors need to be more thorough in prescribing medicine.  If a patient really does not have a flu, they should not be given the medicine to treat a flu on a pretense that they are probably going to get it.  Antibiotics are the quick answer to any problem or symptom.  Overmedicating leads to higher tolerance to the medicines.  It is not smart on the doctor’s part or the patient’s part to prescribe or take medicine that is not absolutely needed, because when the symptoms are actually severe, they may not be relived by the drugs due to a build up of tolerance.

It is not moral to prescribe a drug to someone who may not understand all the risks of a medication.  A prescriber should know all of the risks associated with the medication and educate the patient of these before prescribing that drug for treatment.  The patient should know what drugs they are taking and what the drugs are doing to help them.  A drug prescription should be written after all options of treatment are discussed with the patient.  A doctor should tell the patient their options and the risks and advantages of each treatment, and then a drug prescription should be made after a consensus between the doctor and the patient.  With this method of prescription, the doctor and patient are aware of all risks and are working together to treat the illness.

The fact is that patients are not properly informed about medications.  Prescription advertisements only make the drug out to be the fabulous and blissful answer to the patients’ symptoms.  The tiny text on the screen shows the risks, but no one has time to read that microscopic font.  We are distracted by the happy people dancing and singing on the screen.  Personally, I think drug companies should spend less money on advertisements (In a perfect world zero!) and more on research and development of new and better drugs.  As a consumer, we should be paying for the drug to be developed and manufactured, not advertised and campaigned.  In our country, the government does not subsidize the prices of name brand medications.  The prices are raised with no limit due to the competition of drug companies to make better drugs.  The price increase is unfair and wrong to U.S. citizens, because some people cannot afford the medication they need due to the inflated prices.  The price gauge hurts the American people’s pocket book, but does increase the quality of drugs in the U.S.

Given the rise of prescription misuse and abuse, and the rise of drug-related health problems and prescription recalls, there should be reform in the drug industry.  Like I stated earlier in this blog, getting a prescription should be more of a process, not a hand out.  Prescriptions should be not taken lightly be the prescriber or the patient.  There are already steps being taken to ensure drugs are safe and effective, but humans are the ones running the clinical tests.  It is impossible to make 100% sure that a drug is absolutely safe.  There are risks with every drug.  A good current reform is that many doctors are printing out prescriptions instead of handwriting them.  This makes sure that the pharmacist can read the prescription.  There are always ways to double and triple check in the drug industry.  The process of FDA approval needs to always be through and not rushed in any way.

Inhalants are substances that can be inhaled through the lungs that cause mind-altering effects.  Some common inhalants are nitrous oxide, ether, glues, paint thinners, lighter fluid, aerosol products, gasoline, and household cleaning supplies.  Inhalant products are categorized as depressant drugs, in that inhaling them causes inhibition of the central nervous system.  Some immediate effects of inhalants are giddiness, euphoria, dizziness, and slurred speech. 

Nitrous oxide and ether are used medically, but become dangerous when improperly used.  Users could experience nausea, sensory distortions, or vomiting.  It is especially dangerous to drive under the influence of nitrous oxide.  Other abused inhalants are not meant to be intentionally inhaled into the body, so they are more harmful to our body.  Users could experience delusions that lead to impulsive or destructive behavior, loss of consciousness, choking, or sudden death, brought on by cardiac dysrhythmia.  Some specific ingredients of inhalants that are dangerous include butane, propane, acetone, benzene, hexane, toluene, and gasoline.  Inhalation containing these ingredients could cause damage to the mucous membranes, risks for cancer-related disorders and anemia, muscular weakness and muscle atrophy, reduction of short-term memory, loss of hearing, difficulties of movement and coordination, spastic muscle disorders, and liver problems.  The inhalation of certain solvents by pregnant women causes a risk of infant birth defects.

Inhalants are abused for the rapid feeling of intoxication and “floating euphoria” they cause.  The hangover of inhalants compared to alcohol is less unpleasant, another reason for inhalant abuse.  People choose inhalants to get high, because they are easily available, inexpensive, and easy to carry around and conceal.  Inhalants do not have to be bought on the illegal market, so they seem to be a better means to get high than using illicit drugs.

With the exception of medical use, I do not agree with inhalant use at all.  I think that the idea of inhaling chemicals into my body for any reason is senseless.  The risks are too high.  The effects of inhalants are only felt for around 15 minutes, so the high that users are going for is short-lived.  If I was going to get high, I would want a more durable high.  Inhalants seem to be a quick fix, like many other drugs.  The connotation of inhalant usage is petty.  I watched Intervention on T.V. one night, and the segment was on a young woman addicted to inhalants.  The whole show I was thinking, “This woman is pathetic.  She looks ridiculous.  She is actually sucking on a computer duster can!”  Inhalant use is just silly to me.  I have never experienced it or been around it, so my opinion is solely based on what I have read and seen on Intervention.

Narcotics are opiate-related or opiate-derived drugs.  The three groups of narcotics are opium, heroin, and synthetic opiates.  An example of opium is morphine.  Heroin is an opiate-derived drug that is three times as potent as morpine.  An example of a synthetic opiate is OxyContin.  Narcotic drugs are used primarily to relieve pain, treat acute diarreah, and suppress coughing.  These drugs can be addictive, because they cause elevated stages of euphoria.  They can become habitual, because with the strong good feeling comes strong withdrawal effects.

Opiates have had a long history of addiction.  This addiction has dated back to 1200 b.c. in Egypt.  Egyptians used opium for literally almost every ailment.  In 1680, an opium drink known as Laudanum was derived, and used widely in Europe and the US. This initially was used medicinally; however, it led to recreational use due to its enjoyable effects. This trend led to a more lax society, and an apparent decline in motivation.   Around the same period, it became common in China to smoke opium, which led to the Opium Wars between China and Britan.

Drug abusers become addicted to the point of devoting their lives to the drug.  I think this happens due to user’s chemical dependency on the drug.  This dependency is due to the fact that the drug makes the user feel better.  Their body needs the drug to function correctly, or they will experience immediate and severe withdrawals.  Addicts see the drug as their only option.  They need the drug.

Tobacco and opium are closely related in the fact that they are both highly addictive, have a high potential of abuse, and both can cause many related deaths.  Tobacco is more socially acceptable than opium, because the major health effects are gradual, the habit is more casual, and in history, tobacco has never had a negative effect on a culture as a whole.  All of these facts are the total opposite when it comes to opium.  While tobacco causes more deaths over a long period of drug use, an opium user could over dose on opium in the first use.  This makes opium a dangerous drug and more risky to use. Its withdrawal effects are more extreme.  The drug use becomes habitual due to these strong withdrawal effects and the feeling of euphoria associated.  Users keep using the drugs to feel the way they want to feel.  To maintain this feeling, users will devote much of their time and money to obtaining the drugs.  This lifestyle is negative for the individual, their loved ones, and society.  The fact that opium is illegal makes the drug harder to come by, and more expensive.  A major example of the way opium has negatively affected society is the Opium Wars in China.