OxyContin Brings Higher Health Risks
An important article in Healthday – consumer news for healthier living – reports on two recent scientific studies that indicate people on Medicare funded painkillers, such as OxyContin, Vicodin or codeine, face a higher risk of death, cardiovascular problems, and bone fractures compared with patients who are prescribed non-opioid painkillers.
In one study 6,300 Medicare patients were screened after having been prescribed any of five commonly used opiate painkillers during the period 1996 -2005.
People on codeine were 1.6 times more likely to suffer cardiovascular problems, people on hydrocodone were more at risk of fractures. People using oxycodone were 2.4 times more likely to die than people on hydromorphone, whereas codeine users were twice as likely to die.
The second study found that patients on opioid painkillers were more likely to suffer adverse events than nsaid or coxib patients, the study being of 13,000 patients.
Around 10% of opioid patients suffered fractures compared with nearly 2% on other painkillers. Coxibs and opioids were also associated with more cardiovascular problems.
Experts in the field of pain management urge caution, that other factors could be involved that lead to these events.
In fact a study by Vestergaard and others in Denmark of 2006, stated as its conclusions that there is an added fracture risk in morphine and opioid use, the reason assumed to be increased risk of falls, due to dizziness associated with opiate use.
A 2007 study from King and others of Arizona University says that sustained morphine increases pain, osteolysis, bone loss, spontaneous fracture – also with markers of neuronal damage to DRG cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting a need for more understanding of the consequences of prolonged opioid use – for the purpose of improving continued use of opioids in pain management treatment.
The authors of the study also say that there is no evidence that their results generalize into other forms of cancer, or for other conditions in which long term opioid treatment is used for chronic pain.
It is suggested that the results of all the surveys confirm that there is a problem – one to be expected with the long term administration of a highly toxic chemical substance into the body.
People who understand the pro-inflammatory response to be part of the natural healing process of the body, and not simply deliberate obstructionism on the part of the body to being medicated with opioids, will be concerned at the collateral neuronal damage being inflicted by opioids in the name of pain relief.
Opioid hyperalgesia is increased sensitivity to pain, caused by using opioid drugs, no doubt a component of the chronic pain that doctors see as needing to be treated with yet more opioid drug – indeed a vicious cycle, in the name of love.
It is easy to translate these medical results to the chronic deterioration that occurs in the bodies of long term opioid abusers. It is not naloxone that we need, but to eradicate completely the use of exogenous opioid drugs – and allow the body to heal itself – enhanced by holistic methods of support for the body in its efforts.
The continued use of opioid drugs in the context of health care is like a person addicted to drugs wanting good health – on his terms. He does not want to give up his drug use, for the comfort that it brings. He ignores the awful side effects, the damage that it is doing, denies any causal relationship between his drug use and the damage.
All drug use brings with it the delusion and euphoria of success and power - in illicit users, as in the medical profession. Drug use is an inherently narcissistic and toxic practice. Nature understands nothing about Medicare rebates and man made rules that apply in the case of some drug administrations. Opiates and opioids have no legitimate place in the body.
The body well supported, can produce endogenous opiates of its own – in precisely measured doses that do not cause toxicity but assist the body to heal. The long term administration of synthetic opioids is an act of aggression against the body, particularly when there are non-toxic, non-invasive natural pain treatment methods available.
People using opioid drugs illicitly, or who are tired of the pain they suffer due to injury, will do well to give up their attachment to the power of drugs to make them “well” – get into some serious detox from drugs, and start to deal with their pain at a physical, cognitive and emotional level.
It is funny how everyone can see in the illicit drug user the futility of his denial that his drug use is harmful – when medical science is only doing the same thing. Neither want to give up their narcissistic investment in their powerful drugs.
Using opioid drugs makes people feel omnipotent and strong – it is mighty powerful stuff – why on earth would anyone ever want to give them up.
