Its a shame really--because doctors do want to help people and they don't want to hurt them. So in their attempts to help--they often prescribe pain meds or anxiety meds to try and help with symptoms--they are busy, they have other patients to get to and it its just so darn easy to "stop the pain right now" with a pill. And then you have the abuse and dependency follows...Doctors don't get up in the morning and say--"I hope I get 3 people addicted today.." We know they don't. but they do get people addicted--it is just so darn easy--here is a new study that explores this--in the LA Times. Worth reading
Doctors are key source of narcotics for riskiest users, study says - latimes.com: "Doctors are fueling the epidemic of prescription drug addiction and overdose and represent the single largest supplier of these drugs to chronic abusers, according to a government study published Monday."
The finding challenges the conventional wisdom that the epidemic is caused primarily by abusers getting their drugs without prescriptions, typically from friends and family.
'via Blog this'
Being a hospice nurse I see another side of doctors. One that they are afraid of getting patients who are on hospice addicted, really silly. I don't know about you readers but I want to be comfortable at the end of life. The end of life can be eased with slowly titrated medication. We develop a tolerance for pain medication and a dying patient needs change. Also patients with previous addiction have a higher tolerance requiring larger amounts of medications most times.
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