Drugs given out by doctors — prescription drugs — are a serious problem in this country and people are dying, families are being destroyed, as a result.
The Mayo Clinic reports that almost 70% of Americans today take at least one prescription drug, and over 50% of Americans take two different prescription drugs — drugs prescribed to them by their doctor or health care provider. Even more shocking are their findings that 20% of Americans today are taking 5 or more prescription drugs every day.
Out of these prescription medications, the Mayo Clinic research found that the most commonly used drugs by Americans today that have been prescribed to them by physicians and doctors are:
- Antibiotics
- Antidepressants
- Pain relief pills (opioids).
Doctors and Physicians — Prescribing Drugs That Can Hurt You or a Loved One
1. Antibiotics No Longer Helpful as Superbugs Immune to Them
It’s already been reported that today’s antibiotics have been so heavily prescribed that they may no longer work for people — that “superbugs” are developing for which today’s antibiotics are no help. These new forms of bacteria are killing people in what is being called a “nightmare” situation. The problem here is that doctors and physicians and other health care professionals are not properly giving out antibiotics and have been giving them out too freely for a long time; now, people may be getting sick or even dying as a result.
For example, in another Mayo Clinic study it was found that antibiotic resistance is a serious problem impacting our country today with one big example being the reality of a dangerous bacteria once limited to hospital environments now being found in neighborhoods where healthy people going about their day are coming down with infections from this new, antibiotic-resistant version of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA kills people.
2. Antidepressants Change How Brains Work: Suicides Happen
Many antidepressants given out today warn those that take them that they may likely experience “suicidal thoughts” as a side effect. Suicidal thoughts are one thing arguably to be avoided by someone taking pills because they are depressed, right? Still, doctors are handing out prescriptions for antidepressants all over the place. The CDC reports that in 2010, over 250,000,000 prescriptions for antidepressants were written for Americans by their doctors.
Research shows that for Americans between the ages of 35 and 64 years, the suicide rate jumped 30 percent from 1999 and 2010.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the rate of antidepressant use in Americans ages 12 and older increased by almost 400% between 1988–1994 and 2005–2008.
Furthermore, children in the United States are THREE times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants than kids in any other country.
Today, more Americans are killed by suicide than die in motor vehicle accidents. How many of those deaths are directly connected to antidepressants?
3. Pain Relief Pills Prescribed So Much, Leading Cause of Death by Drug in the United States (Over Heroin and Cocaine)
Drugs given out as pain relief and required to be given to someone only with a doctor’s okay and prescription, are killing more people in this country today than heroin and cocaine combined.
From a report from the Center for Disease Control (footnotes omitted):
In 2007, approximately 27,000 unintentional drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States, one death every 19 minutes. Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. The increase in unintentional drug overdose death rates in recent years has been driven by increased use of a class of prescription drugs called opioid analgesics. Since 2003, more overdose deaths have involved opioid analgesics than heroin and cocaine combined. In addition, for every unintentional overdose death related to an opioid analgesic, nine persons are admitted for substance abuse treatment, 35 visit emergency departments, 161 report drug abuse or dependence, and 461 report nonmedical uses of opioid analgesics. Implementing strategies that target those persons at greatest risk will require strong coordination and collaboration at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels, as well as engagement of parents, youth influencers, health-care professionals, and policy-makers.
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For those who have been seriously injured by a prescription drug, or for those who have lost a loved one to a prescription drug related death, then they may hear responses like the drug was misused or the directions weren’t followed. However, these drugs are only given out with a prescription and doctors and physicians need to understand the consequences of their actions. These research numbers are shocking.
