Generation: Pill
Alex Melekos
English Research Paper
Generation Pill
The reality of drug abuse in American culture has fueled FDA restrictions and reforms for decades as more information on drug availability, distribution, and side effects is released to the public. A trending topic that has gained publicity in the past months is the rate at which doctors prescribe opiates. Drugs such as Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, and Roxicodone are synthesized medications that doctors prescribe for the relief of pain associated with anything from a dental procedure to cancer. Since 1997, when prescription pain medication began advertising campaigns on broadcast television, opiate prescriptions have risen 500 percent. In 2010 alone, there were enough prescriptions to medicate every American adult with painkillers around the clock for a month (Courier Post). The FDA was able to recognize the effects that flooding America with opiates had produced, and subsequently pressured pharmaceutical companies to reformulate their versions of the opiate painkillers. When Purdue Pharma, the producers of the widely-prescribed OxyContin, made their pills harder to crush and then snort or inject in 2010 (Bloom), it was assumed that the change would only bring about good in the future years in terms of opiate abuse. In order to understand the butterfly effect that has launched America into a new drug epidemic, one must delve into the template of abuse seen in opiate users. Oxycodone, the active drug in most opiate painkillers, is more potent and has a higher potential for dependency than other opiates such as codeine and morphine (Warren and Hudson) but is commonly prescribed for its effectiveness as a pain killer. As a person uses opiates, they both raise their body’s tolerance of the substance while creating a physical and psychological dependency on the drug. After the month’s worth supply of the drug is depleted, users are left with more than just an empty pill bottle. Addiction to any
English Research Paper
Generation Pill
The reality of drug abuse in American culture has fueled FDA restrictions and reforms for decades as more information on drug availability, distribution, and side effects is released to the public. A trending topic that has gained publicity in the past months is the rate at which doctors prescribe opiates. Drugs such as Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, and Roxicodone are synthesized medications that doctors prescribe for the relief of pain associated with anything from a dental procedure to cancer. Since 1997, when prescription pain medication began advertising campaigns on broadcast television, opiate prescriptions have risen 500 percent. In 2010 alone, there were enough prescriptions to medicate every American adult with painkillers around the clock for a month (Courier Post). The FDA was able to recognize the effects that flooding America with opiates had produced, and subsequently pressured pharmaceutical companies to reformulate their versions of the opiate painkillers. When Purdue Pharma, the producers of the widely-prescribed OxyContin, made their pills harder to crush and then snort or inject in 2010 (Bloom), it was assumed that the change would only bring about good in the future years in terms of opiate abuse. In order to understand the butterfly effect that has launched America into a new drug epidemic, one must delve into the template of abuse seen in opiate users. Oxycodone, the active drug in most opiate painkillers, is more potent and has a higher potential for dependency than other opiates such as codeine and morphine (Warren and Hudson) but is commonly prescribed for its effectiveness as a pain killer. As a person uses opiates, they both raise their body’s tolerance of the substance while creating a physical and psychological dependency on the drug. After the month’s worth supply of the drug is depleted, users are left with more than just an empty pill bottle. Addiction to any