Prescription Drug Addiction Blog

A Senate Report on GlaxoSmithKline was just issued outlining evidence that the company hid evidence that it new that it's diabetes drug Avandia increased risk of heart attacks. Even the FDA found that the drug was connected to to more than 80,000 heart attacks, yet they did nothing while GlaxoSmithKline raked in billions of dollars in sales for this drug.

When will the government and the public wake up to the fact that this isn't just some isolated scandal - it is THE NORMAL mode of operation for drug companies and the FDA. Create drugs, hide evidence that it kills people, make billions of dollars, pay off a few hundred million in fines and lawsuits and you still come out on top with a billion or more cash profit.

Even worse is that many of the conditions these drugs are prescribed for are caused be another drug someone was given for a false reason. Here is a not uncommon scenario: Joey has a hard time sitting still in science class and so he winds up getting falsely diagnosed as ADHD and prescribed Adderall. The use of Adderall causes severe mood swings and is addictive, his mother takes him to see his doctor who then diagnoses him as having deppression now too and gives him Effexor. The Adderall and Effexor create such a toxic environment in his body that he starts to have spells of violent outbursts and shutting himself in his room. Next time to the doctor he is suddenly found to have bipolar disorder and is given Zyprexa. Now this guy is so drugged up he can't function in life and is put on social security disability. He stays at home for years watching the Price is Right in his parents' basement because he has no drive to get a job when he gets a free check from the government each month (which also then picks up the tab for his prescriptions). As time goes on the Zyprexa causes weight gain and diabetes in Joey, and so his doctor puts him on Avandia. After anothr three years Joey winds up dead from a combination of overtoxicity to these drugs and heart failure. Killed by the pharmaceutical company, the doctor and the government - the current system that's in place.

Sound too outlandish? Start interviewing people on mental health disability and see what you find.

Prescription drug addiction is not the only problem caused by pharmaceutical companies that is ruining lives. This new Senate report is just one more glimpes of the bigger picture.

Prescription drug abuse and addiction continues to grow throughout the country, and there is no immediate end in sight. It affects young people because they often don't view prescription drugs as being as dangerous as street drugs, and older Americans who are given these drugs are becoming addicted simply from the tolerance and abuse potential of the drugs.

States like West Virginia, as reported in Business Week, have introduced legislation to try and combat their growing problem. Prescription opiates are the biggest problem, which include painkillers such as methadone, oxycodone and hydrocodone products. One of the most effective ways to fight "doctor shopping" is an attempt to have a prescription drug monitoring system in place where pharmacists can access a database of information to see how often and how recently people have tried to get prescriptions filled at other places. While it's not a fool-proof method, it certainly throws an extra net on trying to catch problems before they get worse.

Of course, just like with illicit drugs, the question of what to do when people are caught forging prescriptions or buying the drugs off the street is how to handle the individuals. A heavy-handed law enforcement approach doesn't work that often, and it is much better for both those caught in the trap of prescription drug addiction as well as society as a whole to try and give them a chance to attend successful addiction treatment centers.