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Prescription Drug Addiction Problem
Tracking the emergence of the prescription drug addiction problem
Prescription drug addiction is a relatively new phenomenon. Two landmark drug advents in the late 20th century helped to usher in today's prescription drug issues. In 1984, a company by the name of Abbott Labs created a hydrocodone and acetaminophen mix that they registered under the name "Vicodin." Eleven years later, Purdue Pharma LP registered for another synthetic opioid drug named Oxycontin (basically oxycodone mixed in with a time release inert chemical filler).
Prescriptions for Vicodin and Oxycontin flourished throughout the late '90s and early 2000's. By the end of the 20th century, more than three million Americans at one time in their lives had snorted, injected, or otherwise abused opiates. In 1999, a third drug, Percocet, came on line and together with Oxycontin and Vicodin and their lesser-known generic equivalents, induced even more prescription drug dependence.
The rash of opioid addiction didn't really make itself felt until around 2002 and 2003. Black market and gray market sales of Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Percocet, and Ambien have touched off a firestorm of controversy over how involved pharmaceutical companies should be in terms of self-regulation and how involved doctors should be in terms of ferreting out illegitimate patient claims of need. Prescription drug addiction is an unfortunate side effect of a trend with many causes.
If you look at a graph of the number of recreational opioid users from the past four decades, you will notice a striking jump in the curve starting around 1997. From 1972 to the late 1990s, the number of users hovered roughly around 600,000. Then, from 1997 to 2006, the number jumped nearly six times to its present high.
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Prescription Drug Addiction Problem
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