The Nuance
What to Do If Your Doctor Prescribes You Opioids
Everything you need to know about the painkillers
An American’s odds of dying from an opioid overdose are now greater than his or her odds of dying in a car accident — and far greater than dying from a gun-related injury. That’s according to a 2019 report from the National Safety Council (NSC), a nonprofit that tracks rates of injury and death due to different causes. Opioid overdose is now the most common cause of accidental death in the U.S., according to the council.
While doctors today are prescribing opioid painkillers less often than they did in 2012, which is the year opioid prescriptions peaked, approximately 59 opioid prescriptions are written for every 100 Americans, according to the most recent CDC data. At the same time, opioid-related deaths are more common than ever before — fueled largely by the rise of fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid that is up to 100-times more potent than morphine, and is often bought and used illicitly.
While the current epidemic of opioid overuse and abuse is on everyone’s radar, experts say it’s still common for doctors to prescribe opioids in situations when these drugs aren’t necessary. “I think the medical community has made progress, but there are still parts of the country where doctors…
