Every year, about 5 million Americans, most of whom are adolescents and young adults, have their wisdom teeth removed. Many of them are prescribed opioids for the pain during recovery.
The American Dental Association said that after updating its guidelines advising against prescribing opioids, dentists wrote almost half a million fewer prescriptions in 2017 compared to five years earlier. But that still amounted to a staggering 18.1 million prescriptions — and some families are living with the devastating consequences.
That includes Ellen Earley, whose daughter Saige was a young mother doting on her 16-month-old son Julian. In 2017, 22-year-old Saige needed to have her wisdom teeth removed. When the dentist prescribed opioids to help manage her pain, Earley said, he gave "no warning, no nothing" about the potential risks.
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19 comments:
I was prescribed to keep my mouth shut, gargle with salt water and take Tylenol. I didn't get no stinkin Opium.
Pills are killing people. Data is out. Illegal drugs are. Booze kills twice the number and smoking 10x the number. Companies still cashing in on the crisis but not mentioned illegal drugs being pumped in over the boarder.
I call bullshit on this, for claiming a few pills prescribed for real pain is to blame for the opioid crisis.
What’s fueling it, is when NOT ENOUGH pain relief is offered. Pain is an extremely powerful behavior motivator.
When the meager amount of low dose medication doesn’t make the pain “manageable” the patient is left in agony...and no relief. So of course they ask around if someone has any pills. No oxys available? Try something stronger guaranteed to make the pain go away. Some people are so tormented by pain that heroin is seen as the only option left
Prescribed correctly, with sufficient amount given to relieve the pain until healing takes place, there’s no incentive to go search for illegal black market drugs. These aren’t people popping pills for fun. They are people desperate to stave off pain. Especially if they have to manage to go to work, take care of a family and so on.
The problem is when not enough pain medication is provided in a supervised and controlled manner. Then it becomes uncontrolled when the person is forced to go elsewhere for relief...that’s when addiction can start.
Prescribe enough, don’t prescribe more than reasonably needed. But don’t put the patient in a position where they feel they are forced to take desperate measures to stop the agony.
The problem is that people today are so terrified to feel pain, whether emotional, psychological, or physical, that they take to popping pills and turn into walking zombies. Read "Brave New World." It's precisely what we have become from being so hysterically pain averse.
Stop blaming everyone else and be responsible for your own actions.
Other than novociane I never took any painkillers.Maybe a Tylenol or 2 but nothing else.
ANOTHER unnecessary procedure for most patients. Had mine removed in boot camp for no reason. Have had problems ever since. My parents died with their intact.
This whole scenario is played out. Recently had my gallbladder removed and it was difficult getting pain medication in the hospital a free surgery let alone get it prescribed by a physician during office visits. Secure the borders and stop the bombardment of fentynal in out country
Eleven yrs ago my 16 yr old daughter had mouth surgery by a dentist in Berlin. He gave her pain pills for her recovery never said a word about the side effects of this drug. I didn't think anything of it because back then I didn't know anything about opioids. I got the prescription filled one yr later she is addicted to pain pills thanks to the dentist. It was a hard ride but she got herself out of it. I am blaming someone and it is her dentist for prescribing these to her in the first place!! Doctors don't care about the patients only the profit they put in their pocket.
I had four impacted wisdom teeth they had to shatter to extract. Went to work the next day swelled up like a squirrel on Tylenol got dry sockets and ended up stuffing them myself with cotton and clove oil. Yeah it hurt. So do hangovers child birth and life in general. People are too obsessed with their personal comfort. My pop was one of few coal miners to collect a company pension after years of mining on his knees in shallow shafts filled with water having had multiple broken bones and head injuries not to mention the war he only turned to Sloan's Liniment and the occasional shot of Bourbon. He was a resident alien immigrant and always laughed at how soft and lazy Americans were.
I had a knee replacement and was awake and not numbed up.
We know that Alexandria Cortez was born without any!
12: 54 You are Correct. Now what's happening is that
when people need enough pain meds to get them through a
tramatic surgery, they aren't going to get what they
need!
I've had many surgeries and not once did my Dr. keep
prescribing Oxy after a week or so period. They tell you in
the hospital , it's important to keep the pain down or it gets
much harder to control. It's torture to treat someone like this. It's up to the Dr. to prescribe the RX for a certain amount of time yet be able to give the patient enough to
get through the worst of the pain.
Get clean buddy
Good for you and her. Your MOST certainly a STRONG family!!
Had all four pulled at once. My face swelled so much I couldn't close my mouth, eat, sleep, or speak very well. I had been prescribed Tylenol 3 what ever that is. Made it thru and it hurt but was a lot better in a week.
I'm sure that dentist gave just a limited prescription of pain pills when the patient left the office after surgery. It is the patients, and their parents, that keep demanding refills that contribute to their addiction and dependency on the meds. Pure and simple. I have been prescribed many of these same meds, and still have many leftover pills from each prescription, because I only took them for pain relief. When the pain became bearable without the meds, I quit taking them. Doctors DO NEED to quit writing refills for pain meds for temporary pain issues. The ones that keep asking are abusers, and self induced addicts. Quit blaming doctors for their patient's shortcomings. Poor Sage (NOT!) just kept asking for more pills long after the pain was gone. Now Mama wants to blame the dentist because her daughter can't control her lust for a "legal" high. And when her dentist takes away her legal high, then she insists on buying street drugs to take their place. Her whole problem started when she and her mom demanded refills on the initial prescription.
Tylenol 3 = Tylenol (acetaminophen) + codeine.
I had all 4 removed at one sitting. Pain control: Tylenol.
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