Painkillers are just the legal alternative to heroin.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced it wants the federal government to impose tighter restrictions on many prescription painkillers.

The plan would reclassify opioids like hydrocodone from a ‘Schedule III’ drug to a ‘Schedule II’ drug. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Schedule II drugs have a “high potential for abuse… with use potentially leading to a severe psychological or physical dependence.” This would put drugs like Vicodin in the same category as morphine.

The reclassification calls for closer mental and physical evaluations of patients no longer prescribed opioids, because they run the risk of seeking out dangerous but similar drugs like heroin.

The amount of prescription painkillers sold in the United States quadrupled between 1999 and 2010, according to the Centers for Disease and Control. Since the mistake of loosely prescribing painkillers has already been made, a close observation and accessible treatment should be available for those that are no longer eligible to receive a prescription.

Some painkillers mimic the effects of heroin and should not be taken lightly. The results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found the level of heroin abuse doubled in the last 10 years. The president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, Andrew Kolodny, told NPR, “If they don’t have access to legal sources (for painkillers), many of them will turn to the black market.”

This is often the case. Eighty percent of people who used heroin had previously abused prescription opioids, according to The Journal of American Medical Association. 

Tighter restrictions should call for close evaluation of patients by physicians. Some people have a greater predisposition for abuse than others. There is evidence connecting dangerous opioid abuse and people with psychological disorders. A study done by The Journal of American Medical Association found that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder were more likely to receive high doses of opioids, receive two or more opioids concurrently, and receive early refills.

Tighter restrictions would reduce the problem of prescribing to people at risk of drug abuse, which will greatly benefit a person’s overall wellbeing. However, the prescriptions will still be given out at a practitioner’s discretion.

The problem of inappropriately prescribing medications is not limited to painkillers. Patients often receive psychotropic medications without consulting a mental health professional, according to the American Psychological Association.

The shift from psychotherapy to psychopharmacology is worrisome, because prescription drugs mask many mental disorders. While both counseling and prescription medication are both effective treatments, it seems as though the latter has become the first priority. “There is a huge financial incentive for psychiatrists to prescribe instead of doing psychotherapy,” said Dr. Daniel Carlat, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University.

The pharmaceutical industry has been very successful in its marketing to both physicians and the public. According to the American Psychological Association, the drug industry tripled its spending on marketing from 1996 to 2005, although many drug ads don’t fully explain the risks of the medications.

It is a wise decision by the FDA to reclassify painkillers since they are easily abused, but hopefully doctors will not hand out prescriptions so freely. Careful examinations of people no longer able to receive the drugs should also be implemented so that more people do not turn to street drug alternatives.

-Alyssa Reynolds is a senior communication major from Ferndale. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this Column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.