home
RSS
February 22nd, 2012
02:15 PM ET

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: The truth about prescription medication addiction

Whenever I hand a prescription for pain pills to a patient, I tell them, “Remember not to drink any alcohol when taking these medications.”

For years, we in the medical community thought that simple message was getting through. It turns out we were wrong.

Every 19 minutes someone dies because of misuse of prescription medications. Sometimes it is because they take too much. Many times it is because they forget or ignore the warning their doctor gave about combining the medications with alcohol. And tens of thousands of people die every year as a result.

As much attention as we pay to illicit drugs such as cocaine or heroin, the truth is prescription medications kill more people in this country than those illicit drugs combined. Perhaps it is a perception issue: “It came from a pharmacy, therefore, it must be safe.”

They certainly can be safe, but they can also be incredibly addictive, with more than 1.9 million Americans hooked on prescription pain medications alone.

These painkillers are particularly dangerous because they depress the central nervous system, slowing down breathing and the brain stem’s responsiveness to CO2 to the point where someone abusing these medications can simply stop breathing. Combine these painkillers with alcohol, another depressant, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Researchers are racing to find something that can help, and there are a few promising things in development. A recent study, the first large-scale trial aimed at painkiller dependence, offered some hope.

Almost half of those addicted to painkillers - 49% - were able to reduce their drug abuse when taking Suboxone for at least 12 weeks. The drug works by reducing withdrawal symptoms and relieving cravings.

Unfortunately, the success rate dropped to less than 10% [8.6%] once patients stopped taking the drug. In the study, patients receiving intensive addiction counseling did no better than those who didn’t.

Naltrexone – sold under the brand names Revia and Vivitrol, an injectable, long-acting formulation – has also been used for prescription painkiller abuse. But naltrexone only has the potential to work in patients who are already off the painkillers long enough that the drugs are out of their system.

Truth is most of the researchers I have interviewed over the last decade all seem to agree on one thing: addiction is a brain disease. The latest science shows how the dependence on drugs or alcohol can change the brain chemistry, altering pain and reward centers. As a result of this latest science, the idea of therapy alone to treat addiction is waning.

I should point out that millions of patients use prescription pain medications every year safely, without becoming addicted, and certainly without dying. For nearly 30,000 people a year though, they pay the price with their lives.

As a doctor, I will look my patients in the eye every time I hand them a prescription to tell them the concerns about the pills they will take. It won’t just be a casual reminder about not taking the medications with alcohol, but a forceful warning backed up with scary but forceful statistics. I will remind them that they could become addicted, and they could die. That is our jobs as doctors, and it is one way to save thousands of lives.

 Post by:
Filed under: Addiction
Next entry »
« Previous entry
soundoff (2,010 Responses)
  1. Ilene

    Everyone loves what you guys are usually up too.
    This type of clever work and reporting! Keep up the
    superb works guys I've added you guys to my blogroll.

    Feel free to visit my homepage: judi online terpercaya (Gamewin88.blogspot.com)

    January 13, 2021 at 10:29 | Report abuse | Reply
  2. Pamelia Colley

    thank you for sharing with us, I conceive this website genuinely stands out : D.

    https://Dreamproxies.com/buy-proxies/1000-private-proxies/

    January 13, 2021 at 10:40 | Report abuse | Reply
  3. FgnhZisse

    viagra online australia uk viagra viagra without a prescription buy generic viagra by phone in australia buy viagra with paypal viagra from canana without a prescription viagra online viagra sell viagra w/dapoxetine free viagra sample uk viagra hong kong online viagra ships to canada using paypal best viagra sites online brandnameviagra viagra,levitra/free shipping

    January 13, 2021 at 14:04 | Report abuse | Reply
  4. Ardis Mccullors

    I found this to be very informative and I learned a lot from you. By the way, if you are looking for great discounts on designer clothing you should check out https://www.discountreasures.com . You will not be disappointed.

    https://www.discountreasures.com

    January 14, 2021 at 01:21 | Report abuse | Reply
  5. live blackjack win

    And, to whom should you submit your articles? There is no better strategy grow your online business than through Internet article writing.
    Another strategy generate money from web site is from google google adsense.

    January 14, 2021 at 03:27 | Report abuse | Reply
  6. wwe live 22 october 2017

    I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This piece of writing posted at this web site is truly
    nice.

    January 14, 2021 at 08:07 | Report abuse | Reply
  7. NlbxZisse

    where do i buy viagra in sydney how much viagra is safe to take viagra australia canadian generic viagra viagra expiration viagra worldwide pfizer viagra online viagra 50mg viagra usa viagra online overnight delivery australian viagra paypal buy generic viagra using mastercard viagra toronto store generic viagra? buy super viagra

    January 14, 2021 at 11:07 | Report abuse | Reply
  8. Orlando Derwitsch

    Would you be interested by exchanging hyperlinks?

    https://Dreamproxies.com/buy-proxies/2000-private-proxies/

    January 15, 2021 at 00:33 | Report abuse | Reply
  9. Penney Ledsome

    Hello, I'm Susan Hoyt! I just wanted to say that I found this to be very informative. By the way, if you are looking for great discounts on designer clothing you should check out Discount Treasures. You can find them here: https://www.discountreasures.com . You will not be disappointed.

    https://www.discountreasures.com

    January 15, 2021 at 01:31 | Report abuse | Reply
  10. Rinaldo

    can i put wax in my vape

    http://www.thelingeriecollective.com/where-can-i-buy-virginia-tobacco-nicotine-salts-e-liquid/

    January 15, 2021 at 12:00 | Report abuse | Reply
  11. JvcxCrulk

    price 100mg viagra top viagra store buy viagra prices cvs cialis and viagra alternativ over the counter viagra genric viagra where to buy viagra with discover card viagra no prescription usa viagra and grapefruit amlodipine and viagra wholesale viagra what is generic viagra cheapest viagra online without prescription brand name viagra sun viking viagra

    January 15, 2021 at 12:32 | Report abuse | Reply
  12. 우리카지노

    우리카지노

    https://cabelas.cc

    January 15, 2021 at 14:30 | Report abuse | Reply
  13. Joanna Budkey Bean Dumpster

    Joanna Budkey 4474 Pershing Riverside Escorts walk in 9p-1a

    https://twitter.com/beandumpster

    January 16, 2021 at 13:54 | Report abuse | Reply
  14. zortilonrel

    I haven?¦t checked in here for some time as I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂

    http://www.zortilonrel.com/

    January 16, 2021 at 14:18 | Report abuse | Reply
  15. 예스벳88

    This is something New !

    https://robharp.com

    January 17, 2021 at 00:57 | Report abuse | Reply
  16. KlioMile

    where to buy viagra in toronto cost of viagra 50mg viagra online ireland viagra and things like it viagra super force uk buy generic viagra online usa best place to buy real viagra online online viagra 100mg professional what i viagra for women viagra viagra levitra paypal 50 mg viagra viagra for women for sale can you buy viagra online in australia without a prescription buy viagra australia

    January 17, 2021 at 02:22 | Report abuse | Reply
  17. See Porteus

    Incredibly strong information. continue the great work. playstation games

    https://newgame.biz/playstation-4-reviewed-is-it-worth-your-money/5

    January 17, 2021 at 11:46 | Report abuse | Reply
  18. LorenaBlairjar

    Woman commits suicide

    A 27 year old woman and a 28 year old man committed suicide in two separate incidents reported under the Amberpet and SR Nagar police station limits on November 8 and 9.

    In the first occurrence, Venkatamma, a mom of two, Committed suicide after she got into a tiff with a family member over a family dispute. She drunk acid asian dates at her house in SR Nagar. to be able to an official, The woman died at a hospital in the process of treatment.

    In the second incident in Ramanthapur plantar to Amberpet police station limits, A man named Kranti Kumar hung himself to death when his wife and children kids had stepped out. He was depressed since the past few months and had texted someone before you take the extreme step, law enforcement said.

    The Cyberabad police arrested a woman who was cheating people she met through online dating sites. Offering to speak to the men, c. Rajeshwari, The charged, Would then extort money by threatening to upload the men's pictures or of their families on various websites to defame them.

    a home offender, Who had driven off with an Audi Q3 car from a pre owned car lot at Yousufguda last month, Was rotting in jail by the Banjara Hills police. The accused, S. Venkata Ramana, Went around with many fake names and posed as a doctor working in Apollo Hospitals before he stole the car.

    Upon his public, Officials restored a pistol, A noble Enfield bike, And three hand held phones. Police arrested Venkata Ramana near a bus stop in the early hours of Thursday. He was offender in 16 cases in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and consequently Tamil Nadu, Said a press note on sunday.

    January 17, 2021 at 15:24 | Report abuse | Reply
  19. zortilonrel

    Simply want to say your article is as astounding. The clarity in your post is just excellent and i can assume you're an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the enjoyable work.

    http://www.zortilonrel.com/

    January 17, 2021 at 16:21 | Report abuse | Reply
  20. zortilonrel

    I went over this site and I believe you have a lot of superb information, saved to bookmarks (:.

    http://www.zortilonrel.com/

    January 17, 2021 at 16:29 | Report abuse | Reply
  21. zortilonrel

    I have not checked in here for a while because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂

    http://www.zortilonrel.com/

    January 17, 2021 at 16:40 | Report abuse | Reply
  22. Emerson Godyn

    Just wanna comment on few general things, The website style and design is perfect, the subject material is real excellent. "The stars are constantly shining, but often we do not see them until the dark hours." by Earl Riney.

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    January 17, 2021 at 22:43 | Report abuse | Reply
  23. MatthewPiopy

    музыка онлайн бесплатно

    January 17, 2021 at 23:12 | Report abuse | Reply
  24. ThomasTup

    песни mp3

    January 18, 2021 at 01:14 | Report abuse | Reply
  25. froleprotrem

    We're a bunch of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with helpful information to paintings on. You've done an impressive process and our whole neighborhood will probably be thankful to you.

    http://www.froleprotrem.com/

    January 18, 2021 at 01:16 | Report abuse | Reply
  26. zortilonrel

    very good publish, i actually love this web site, keep on it

    http://www.zortilonrel.com/

    January 18, 2021 at 02:41 | Report abuse | Reply
  27. Krystyna Hartlep

    Local Law 196 is a NYC DOB law that requires workers and supervisors at most NYC construction sites to obtain a SST card by completing specific courses through a NYC DOB approved training provider. Able Safety offers multiple packages to complete this training at great low prices. All our SST classes can be completed entirely online from any device (phone, tablet, pc/mac). The NYC DOB’s SST compliance deadline was originally set for September 1st 2020. The deadline has since been extended to March 1st 2021. By this date you will need the following to be allowed to work on most construction sites in NYC.

    https://www.ablesafety.com/

    January 18, 2021 at 04:25 | Report abuse | Reply
  28. RichardCat

    качество песни онлайн

    January 18, 2021 at 06:05 | Report abuse | Reply
  29. zortilo nrel

    Keep working ,splendid job!

    http://www.zortilonrel.com/

    January 18, 2021 at 08:18 | Report abuse | Reply
  30. DennisWeete

    скачать хорошие песни mp3

    January 18, 2021 at 08:22 | Report abuse | Reply
  31. ClintonBew

    скачать песню ремикс

    January 18, 2021 at 10:28 | Report abuse | Reply
  32. TimothyJed

    яндекс музыка

    January 18, 2021 at 12:38 | Report abuse | Reply
  33. Ryan Cushenberry

    Elite quality private proxies, Infinite bandwidth, 1000 mb/s superspeed, 99,9 uptime, Non constant IP's, No consumption restrictions, Multiple subnets, USA or Europe proxies – Get Now – DreamProxies.com

    https://dreamproxies.com/tag/buy-private-proxy/

    January 18, 2021 at 13:08 | Report abuse | Reply
  34. JeffreyBulky

    слушающий музыку

    January 18, 2021 at 14:42 | Report abuse | Reply
  35. FbdhZisse

    canadianmed cialis cialis20mg online cialis cheap free shipping http://21cialismen.com/ – cialis shop in australia ’

    January 18, 2021 at 14:43 | Report abuse | Reply
  36. LcxEncox

    what does viagra cost in uk buy viagra without a prescription pfizer viagra 100mg http://genqpviag.com/ – viagra sel uk ’

    January 18, 2021 at 16:20 | Report abuse | Reply
  37. WilsonFeedo

    включая музыка

    January 18, 2021 at 16:42 | Report abuse | Reply
  38. Garth Overbee

    Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your websiteand in accession capital to assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts.Any way I’ll be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you accessconsistently rapidly.

    https://xemkqxs.com

    January 18, 2021 at 16:54 | Report abuse | Reply
  39. Charlesdit

    mp3 песни в хорошем качестве

    January 19, 2021 at 04:36 | Report abuse | Reply
  40. DavidSminy

    слушать музыку онлайн без

    January 19, 2021 at 07:16 | Report abuse | Reply
  41. FrankJaw

    музыка из фильмов

    January 19, 2021 at 11:10 | Report abuse | Reply
  42. build hydrogen generator yourself

    Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It's the little changes that
    produce the largest changes. Thanks a lot for
    sharing!

    Here is my web blog; build hydrogen generator yourself

    January 19, 2021 at 12:01 | Report abuse | Reply
  43. NlbxZisse

    cialis with dapoxetine 80mg cialis fastest shipping which one is better viagra or cialis http://cialijomen.com/ – best prices for cialis ’

    January 19, 2021 at 12:02 | Report abuse | Reply
  44. RobertTum

    скачать музыку бесплатно

    January 19, 2021 at 13:30 | Report abuse | Reply
  45. RaymondSoync

    скачать mp3

    January 19, 2021 at 16:05 | Report abuse | Reply
  46. Brianplamb

    музыка 2021 новинки слушать

    January 19, 2021 at 18:26 | Report abuse | Reply
  47. Lane Bishopp

    Information has become king, seems the black hat’s are getting owned from the white hat profit makers.

    https://greatwebs.com

    January 19, 2021 at 20:02 | Report abuse | Reply
  48. Anton Amsterdam

    http://www.flucid.nl http://www.flucid.nl/http://www.valenciatours.es http://www.valenciatours.es/

    https://xemkqxs.com

    January 19, 2021 at 20:20 | Report abuse | Reply
  49. Michaelgar

    слушать популярную музыку

    January 20, 2021 at 02:55 | Report abuse | Reply
  50. RandalHok

    скачать песни в хорошем качестве

    January 20, 2021 at 05:04 | Report abuse | Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Leave a Reply to Anthonyrof

Click here to cancel reply.

 

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.

Next entry »
« Previous entry
Advertisement
About this blog

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.