Drug addicts are often eschewed to the margins of society. Treated like pariahs, their existence is minimized to that of being sub-human.
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is another type of beast. It doesn’t discriminate between race, class or gender. Late actor Matthew Perry was open about his addiction struggles and often spoke about his affinity for opioids.
In his 2022 autobiography Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, the Friends actor described his addiction as a disease. He called for others to be empathetic to the struggles addicts faced.
And yet, people who fight hard against their opioid addiction demons are up against prejudice daily. The shame of their drug dependency is a burden too big to carry.
An investigation by STAT showed that virtually every sector of U.S. society is obstructing medications that could prevent tens of thousands of deaths each year. The stats on opioid overdose deaths in 2022 stood at 73,838.
Suboxone Lawsuits and Further Discrimination
The Suboxone lawsuit for teeth decay cases work on the premise of thousands of claims that the medication caused dental injuries, namely severe tooth decay, cavities and oral infections.
The drug, used for opioid addiction treatment, has been called into question after patients accused manufacturer Indivior of failure to warn them of the severe dental injuries associated with the medication.
Plaintiffs alleged Suboxone’s negligent design increased the possibility of dental problems. Many Suboxone tooth decay lawsuits claim the manufacturers failed to provide adequate instructions while using prescription Suboxone film, says TruLaw.
In light of the tooth decay lawsuits, users of Suboxone and similar medications have found themselves being shunned by public health, employers and family.
This article aims to debunk major myths about opioid addiction and the struggle for addicts to maintain their basic human rights.
Narcotics Anonymous Welcomes All, Except…
While conducting their probe into the obstruction of medications to treat OUD, STAT made an interesting observation.
They discovered that Narcotics Anonymous actively opposed the use of Suboxone and other medications in the same category. If participants were found to be using it, they would be banned from chapter meetings.
The 12-step recovery program is a lifeline for millions around the world. For many in the program, these medications are seen as cheating and taking the easy way out. For recovering opioid addicts, it could mean the start of a new life.
But the stigma will always be there, no matter what path addicts choose on their journey to sobriety.
Optimism may have come in the form of the federal government announcing new regulations around methadone treatment. From April this year, methadone clinics across the U.S. were able to increase access to the treatment.
OUD is a Treatable Disease
Dr James Baker had a visceral experience when his son died from an opioid overdose.
In his line of work, Dr Baker encountered patients dying from drug overdoses in his ER. Saving lives was paramount and he described feelings of anguish when his patients went back to the streets.
His son Macky was also an opioid addict. While recovering, Dr Baker was comforted by the possibility that he could get over his addiction once and for all.
It wasn’t meant to be. Following a major car accident, Macky was injected with fentanyl before surgery. He died 26 days later due to an overdose.
In his op-ed for Med Page Today, Dr Baker admitted his prejudice kept him from prescribing opioids for pain relief. He listed plausible solutions for treating opioid addiction.
He urged clinicians to treat patients and their families with empathy and understanding. Research treatment options in your region and follow it up with evidence-based care to treat OUD.
Dissecting the Spread of Misinformation
The continuous myth is that opioids cause addiction in fewer than 1% of patients. This couldn’t be further from the truth, Dr Haider Warraich said while addressing attendees at the 2023 Biologic Therapies Summit.
Dr Warraich explained that the claim was first made in a research letter published in The New England Journal of Medicine in the 1980s. She said the research was cited thousands of times in medical papers without challenging its conclusions.
The physician mentioned the claim that patients who were undertreated for chronic pain could be at risk of “pseudo addiction.” She questioned the original statement and said the authors implied that treating a patient showing symptoms of opioid addiction should be given more opioids.
The Suboxone tooth decay lawsuit may have come at the expense of thousands of people. Let one positive be that Suboxone lawyers amplify those marginalized voices and finally see them as human.
