can someone explain how the opiod crisis happend?
In: 19
Another factor in the opioid crisis was the development of a new theory of addiction which said that addiction developed because patients were not given the drugs frequently enough to keep the pain at a livable level until the next dose was allowed. Therefore, by the time they could take a second dose they were in intense pain so required a higher dose. Over time the process spiraled out of control as needed doses got higher and higher and addiction developed.
The new theory (supposed solution) was to allow patients to control the timing of drug ingestion such that they never felt intense pain. It was thought that this methodology would avoid addiction because patients would only take the amount of (less-addictive) drug needed to kill the pain. Patients were supposedly using the drug to replace naturally occurring pain killers made by the human body. As the body healed, less drug would be required so patients would take less drug thus avoiding addiction.
Interesting theory – didn’t work. And Purdue knew this.
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