Opioid Uses
Stern Law, PLLC, is investigating cases and pursuing lawsuits against manufacturers of prescription opioids. Individuals, families, insurance companies, and state and local governments have suffered extreme losses in what has become a national epidemic of abuse outside of legal opioid uses. Our firm seeks to hold the manufacturers accountable. If you are an individual or family member affected by opioid addiction or are an entity (insurance carrier, state government, municipality) looking for legal representation for expense reimbursement, contact Stern Law today to discuss your potential for filing a lawsuit.
Common Types of Opioids
Every day, we hear about more people addicted to and dying from opioid abuse, both prescription opioids and illegal opioids, like heroin. You are likely familiar with several kinds of prescription opioids because they have been widely prescribed in the past several years. The generic and brand names for the most commonly known prescription opioids include:
- Hydrocodone (Lortab, Vicodin, Lorcet, Zydone)
- Oxycodone (Roxicodone, Roxicet, Tylox, OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan)
- Methadone (Dolophine)
- Morphine (MS Contin, Kadian, Avinza)
- Codeine (Fioricet, Fioinal, Phenaphen, Tylenol #3)
- Fentanyl (Subsys, Onsolis, Lazanda, Duragesic, Actiq, Abstral, Fentora)
Some of the above, like morphine, are derived from opium poppy, and some are completely synthetic, like fentanyl. They are prescribed for varying conditions, depending on the patient’s symptoms and the treatment plan the doctor has developed for proper opioid uses.
Intended Opiate Uses
One of the key prescribed opioid uses surrounds pain management. Prescription opioids are intended to treat chronic or acute pain. Some opioids, like Subsys (fentanyl), were developed specifically to treat breakthrough pain in cancer patients. These patients were experiencing intense pain that could not be controlled any other way and needed a stronger option.
Opioids like oxycodone and fentanyl are supposed to be prescribed to patients with ongoing, severe pain that is nonresponsive to other pain medications or pain management. These opioids stay in the system a long time, so they are intended for persistent pain, not short-term pain.
Opioids like hydrocodone are intended to treat short-term, temporary pain, such as the pain experienced after an accident or after surgery. This is also known as “acute pain.” Hydrocodone metabolizes quickly in the body, so opioid uses can be build around effective doses for pain of a temporary nature. A different opioid like fentanyl would be inappropriate for acute pain because it stays in the system too long and can lead to an increased risk of injury to the patient.
While these drugs were developed and approved with very specific purposes in mind, doctors have been prescribing them for a wide variety of conditions in recent years. Opioid uses have become excessive as patients with headaches, joint pain, even mild back pain come out of the doctor’s office with a prescription for a highly powerful drug. Manufacturers of these drugs have actually encouraged doctors to prescribe opioids for a range of issues, many of which could be addressed with a simple, over-the-counter pain reliever. Manufacturers have touted prescription opioids as safe and effective for many uses, but the studies do not back this up. Research shows that opioids are no more effective than a basic NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) for many types of pain, and they certainly carry more risks. Long-term dependence and/or inappropriate opioid uses can lead to a host of dangerous side effects in patients, including death.
