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Michael Jackson tragedy shines a light on physician-initiated drug addiction
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One thing is becoming clear about Michael Jackson prior to his death: he was using, and perhaps overusing, narcotic medications. Not illegal drugs that he acquired from dealers, but common, legal medications dispensed by his local pharmacy. These powerful, addictive and dangerous drugs may even have contributed to his death. The most concerning aspect of this scenario is that his drugs were prescribed by a licensed physician.
This is one of medicine’s dirty secrets: doctors create drug addicts.
Here’s how it happens. Patients arrive at the doctor’s office in pain and the doctor wants to fix it. With a few scribbles on the prescription pad and a trip to the pharmacy, precious pain relief arrives in a bottle. For a while everyone is happy. But if the pain is chronic things soon go awry. Eventually the medication’s effectiveness fades and more pills are needed to keep the pain away. Some doctors balk at escalating the narcotic dose and appropriately steer patients with chronic pain to other resources such as antidepressants, massage, acupuncture, meditation and physical therapy. But not all of them are willing to take such a stand.
Some doctors whip out their prescription pads and dispense unlimited narcotics, seemingly unaware of the tragic consequences of their actions. After a while many patients become convinced that only narcotics will soothe their pain. At this point they have two difficult problems: chronic pain AND drug addiction.
Chronic pain is awful. Chronic pain plus drug addiction is worse.
Physicians commit to "first do no harm." Even when it is difficult, even when it might incite wrath, physicians are professionally and ethically obligated to act in the best interest of their patients. Narcotic medications have their place, but their use should not be cavalier. And any doctor prescribing them for a patient in chronic pain should be aggressively pursuing every possible pain relieving modality, including treatment of the depression that often accompanies chronic pain.
Be well,
Dr. Chiaramonte
www.insightmedicalconsultants.com
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