Pill Mill Monitor : Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Kay Van Wey Law Firm : Prescription Drug Overdoses & Pharmaceutical Abuse

 A recent Pentagon study revealed alarming rates of prescription drug abuse among active duty soldiers. The study revealed that an alarming 1 in 4 soldiers admitted to abusing prescription drugs, most commonly pain killers.  A spokesman for the military stated that the prescription pain killers were being used for pain and also for "behavioral health issues".

Without question, the wounds of war include those that are physically painful. The horrors of war  also create an environment ripe for self-medicating psychological wounds. 

There is no doubt that most, if not all, of the men and women reportedly abusing prescription drugs present with some sort of physical pain or psychological injury. However, there are many alternative  ways to treat pain other than dolling out powerful addictive narcotics. Narcotic pain killers are not and never have been an acceptable treatment for psychological conditions. Moreover, prescribing powerfully addictive narcotics to persons who have co-existing mental health issues calls for greater vigilance on the part of the prescribing physician. 

USA TODAY reported last year that narcotic pain-relief prescriptions for injured or wounded U.S. troops jumped from 30,000 a month to 50,000 since the Iraq war began.This suggests that military doctors may be throwing prescription pain killers at  problems which require a more thoughtful and deliberate approach.

Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army surgeon general, created a task force to review the service's pain management practices. Creating a task force is a great start, but so much more is needed, such as education of the physicians who are prescribing these drugs.

The Army says it is expanding programs to treat and educate soldiers about drug abuse. But according to  Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, the service struggles to provide enough drug counselors and needs to hire 270 to 300.

The problem is that a) we the taxpayers are paying for all of these prescriptions; and b) these fine young men and women who have served our country will now be returned to  society with not only physical and psychological wounds , but also a drug addiction that may have been created and/or enabled by the military itself.

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According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, more than 6 million Americans are currently abusing prescription drugs.

This begs the question: Where are these estimated 6 million people getting a steady supply of prescription drugs to feed their addiction?

Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry itself is largely to blame. There is built in profit motive for doctor's who prescribe, pharmacists who fill and companies that distribute prescription drugs.

In order to prescribe or dispense controlled substances, healthcare providers are required to obtain a license issued by the Drug Enforcement Agency. By law, persons who maintain a DEA license  must not divert or assist in the diversion of drugs for illicit purposes.

Many healthcare providers are vigilant in preventing the diversion and abuse of
controlled substances.  However, there are physicians, pharmacists and others in the distribution chain who become involved in diverting prescription drugs for financial gain. The most common method is through "pill mills". This involves setting up a clinic where doctors see large volumes of patients, ask few questions and prescribe large quantities and combinations of controlled substances.

The prescriptions themselves are only worth the paper they are written on until a pharmacist agrees to fill them. Pharmacists have an independent duty to ensure that prescriptions are written for a valid medical purpose and to refuse to fill them if they are not. Unfortunately, there are pharmacies who are perfectly willing to turn their heads and fill prescriptions which they know, or should know are not written for a valid medical purpose.

The wholesale distributor who supplies the pharmacy with it's controlled substances also has a duty to know their customer. Wholesalers need to develop  systems for evaluating and monitoring the flow of controlled substances. Unfortunately, there is a financial disincentive to do so in the minds of some wholesalers because they and their sales staff are compensated based upon the volume of drugs they distribute.

Likewise, the manufacturer of the narcotics is in the business of selling drugs. They have become increasingly sophisticated at educating the public about the perceived need for their drugs. Many of us have grown up in the era where there is a pill for anything and everything. Let's face it: prescription drugs are  a multiple billion dollar industry. 

I don't pretend to be an expert in economics, but it seems that some rather favorable market conditions exist. There is certainly a market for the drugs ..... 6 million and growing according to the DEA.  There is certainly ample supply. There are financial opportunities for virtually everyone involved in manufacturing, distributing, dispensing and prescribing the controlled substances. 

In my view, until we make diverting prescription drugs unprofitable, the problem will continue to claim the lives of our citizens. Greed has created a lot of this problem. Business opportunities abound. As long as money is flowing, people will continue to place their pocketbooks over their conscience.

Civil lawsuits have always been the great equalizer. In this country, an individual or group of individuals can take on our most powerful citizens and corporations in order to expose wrongdoing. The culprits need to be exposed and held accountable. Throughout history, lawsuits have forced tobacco companies, HMO's, automobile manufacturers, and others to change their practices. The prescription drug industry has not been publicly outed or held accountable for the fortunes they have reaped over the diversion of prescription drugs. Now is the time for change.

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