Health Care Reform Project: Part I-Prescription Drugs

Prescription drug abuse and prescription overprescribing, of all categories, is becoming rampant in the United States. It is also one of the most rapidly growing dilemmas in America influencing people of all ages. Prescription drug use in the past was limited to adults. Over the last decade, more and more children and adolescents are consumers of these drugs. Coping with children who behaved badly in the past has taken a new direction that includes prescribing medications. Medical professions now have the option to prescribe these medications as they see fit. Many physicians are more than willing to write a prescription based on the complaints of a patient rather than finding other treatment options or the root of the problem. Drugs manufactures have had to come up with new and innovative ways to market these drugs to healthcare providers and the public as well. As society changes so will the way drugs are marketed, prescribed and taken. Demand for prescription drugs will continue to increase as well as the overall cost. Consumers today demand more flexibility in acquiring prescription medications rather than using the traditional drug stores. Patients are swamped by pharmaceutical ads and physicians are repeatedly proliferated with drug prescribing information from pharmaceuticals representatives. Getzen and Allen (2007) states, “the average American fills 11 prescriptions per year. Pharmaceuticals were a $188.5 billion industry in 2004, for which government and private insurance paid two-thirds of the bill” (p. 263). This paper provides a snapshot of the issue of prescription drugs and conveys article summations of the drug prescription epidemic in America, the overprescribing of drugs by doctors, and the cost of prescription drug abuse.

Description of the Issue- Prescription Drugs

A prescription drug is a medication that cannot be legally distributed or purchased without written documentation from a licensed physician. These types of drugs can range from the simplest of medications all the way to controlled substances. In recent years, the issues relating to prescription drugs have resulted in substance abuse. The effect of substance abuse of prescription drugs has caused an increase in health care cost in prescriptions. There are several factors relating to the increased cost in prescription drugs. Some of the factors are; increase demand for brand name drugs, newer prescriptions replacing the older and less-expensive prescriptions, development and research of the new medications, and advertising. There have been requests and suggestions made for more government involvement and regulation to control the increase in prescription drug abuse. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) is responsible for making sure that the in-store and prescribed medications that are made available to the public are safe and effective in the United States.

Article 1- Prescription Drug Epidemic

There is a prescription drug epidemic in the United States. This is recognized as the fastest growing issue in drug abuse within the past decade. This epidemic is affecting the youth and young adult demographics. Studies have shown that 70% of youth from ages 12 and up, that have abused prescription drugs obtained them from relatives that the prescriptions were prescribed for. According to Dr. David Smith, the Obama Administration is attempting to address the epidemic by passing a law that mandates physicians to be trained prior to being able to prescribe controlled substances. They would also have to be educated in addictive behavior and substance abuse. This article also addresses the issues of physicians that are willfully prescribing controlled substances for profit. There are strict federal regulations that prohibit this type of behavior from medical professionals. However, the problem still exists and more drastic measures must take place to control this issue.

Article 2- Doctors Overprescribing Drugs

A new study finds doctors are massively overprescribing drugs because many physicians in America are prompt to order medications without considering side effects or other non-drug therapy (Mercola, 2011). This is partly because many physicians write a prescription too quickly because of constrained time in dealing with patients and the overly advertised pharmaceutical industry inundating patients with medications advertisements. In America, drug uses of all categories are out of control. “The average American, age 19 to 64, takes roughly 11 prescription drugs, according to statistics from the Kaiser Health Foundation. Not even children are spared from excessive drugging, and seniors are taking a downright frightening number of medications” (Mercola, para. 4, 2011). Dr. Mercola elucidates that very little is done to promote disease prevention or other non-medications alternatives and medication abuse is on the rampage. Physicians are focusing in treating the symptoms and writing prescriptions without discussing other solutions to the problem. Many physicians, fearing malpractice, do not see past drugs when patients come in with a complaint. Hence, this article encourages physicians to embrace other more conservative principles, to be cautious in their prescribing practices, and break free from the prescription drug trap.
Article 3- How prescription drug abuse costs you money

Within the several years prescription drug abuse particularly painkillers has been on the rise and has even reached the level that many experts in the field have stated that the problem is now an "epidemic” (O'Toole, 2012). Methadone, oxycodone, and hydrocodone have been described as the most abused prescription drugs by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Since 1999 the amount prescription painkillers sold have more than tripled, and with this death from overdoses has also greatly increased, showing a 26 percent jump from 1999 to 2008, which is more than certain illicit drugs combined (O'Toole, 2012). The spending on pain medications by prescription was estimated to be over $70 billion in a recent study done by The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, insurance companies, and government agencies (O'Toole, 2012). Individuals who use multiple doctors so they can get more drugs by trying to go under the radar are called “Doctor Shoppers” and cost insurance companies thousands of dollars every year, these people also stock up on drugs using fake drug prescriptions and insurance claims (O'Toole, 2012).

Conclusion Today more people are being diagnosed with medical issues that did not require prescription medication in the past. The problems that healthcare professionals encounter are to correctly diagnose and prescribe medications that benefit patients and not to prescribe medications to those who may not need them. Prescription medications are now written, filled, and sold on the streets by individuals, which may cause these medications to skyrocket. In many cases, it can be easy for a patient to convince a physician that they need certain medications. Today’s consumers are more informed than ever before by media and marketing and are equipped to make decisions as to what types of prescription medication they may want prescribed. Regulating how prescription medications are marketed, prescribed and taken by consumers is the key to reforming abuse of prescription medications by medical professions and patients as well. Cost will continue to be a factor as more and more Americans continue to need prescription medications.

References

About the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). FDA. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofMedicalProductsandTobacco/CDER/default.htm

Getzen, T. E., & Allen, B. H. (2007). Health care economics. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

James O'Toole. (2012). How prescription drug abuse costs you money. Retrieved from: http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/22/news/economy/prescription_drug_abuse/index.htm

Mercola, J. M. (2011). New Research Finds Doctors are Massively Overprescribing Drugs. Retrieved from http://www.articles.mercola.com

Smith, D. E. (2012). Prescribing Practices and the Prescription Drug Epidemic: Physician Intervention Strategies. Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs, 44(1), 68-71. doi:10.1080/02791072.2012.662094