How do you know if you have an opioid problem?

Anyone can develop an addiction to painkillers. Doctors, nurses and all healthcare professionals are tasked with monitoring patients to whom opioids are prescribed. We hear news stories about pill mills, billing fraud and monitoring programs to keep patients safe and prevent drug diversion and downstream black market sales. Meanwhile, who is monitoring the healthcare professionals up stream? It is too easy to imagine what an addict looks like or where they are getting their pain killers, sometimes it is harder to look right in the mirror.

People with abuse and addiction propensities may not be aware of the stronghold opioids can take on someone’s life. It is said that at stages of addiction the synapses are not firing the same and judgment can be impaired. The moment of realization of not being able to quit taking opioids can certainly be one of shock, fear and loss of control.

You might be able to stop for a day or more, maybe a week or two. Without getting proper detox and rehabilitative care, the cycle of use and addiction is not likely to stop on its own. Once people accept that they have no control over the addiction it can be easier to ask for help, especially when they can accept with the help of others that it is not their fault and it is a disease, from which they can be cured.

Not everyone who uses opioids safely and under a physician’s monitoring is or will become addicted. There are a few signs and symptoms of which to be aware.

Salem, Virginia’s Mount Regis Center for hope, treatment and recovery shares a list of symptoms of opioid addiction as follows, noting that not all individuals with addiction will display all the symptoms. That said, the following are common[i]:

“Mood symptoms:

• Mood swings
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Euphoric mood for a few hours
• Irritability

Behavioral symptoms:

• Forging prescriptions for opiates
• Stealing narcotics from friends and family
• Robbing pharmacies and other medication dispensaries
• Not fulfilling familial and other responsibilities
• Decreased performance at job or school
• Preoccupation with obtaining, using, and recovering from usage of opiates
• Lying to others to cover the amount of drug taken
• Withdrawing from once-pleasurable activities
• Social isolation
• Restlessness
• Lethargy

Physical symptoms:

• Exhaustion
• Pain relief
• Respiratory depression
• Sedation
• Muscle spasms
• Vomiting
• Insomnia
• Constipation
• Itching
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sweating
• Seizures
• Coma
• Death

Psychological symptoms:

• Addiction
• Memory problems
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Paranoia
• Worsening of mental health
• Decrease in emotional well-being
• Increase in symptoms of mental illness”

The article about opioid abuse and addiction is worth your review and covers co-occurring disorders, statistics, causes, symptoms and the effects of opioid withdrawal.

The more we learn and share about addiction, the more proactive we all may be in helping our family, friends and colleagues when we see someone may be in trouble and not know why.

About us: Michael V. Favia & Associates, P.C. is a health law, litigation and licensing firm in Chicago representing individuals, healthcare professionals and organizations with civil legal matters as well as professional licensing and regulation.

Chicago health law and litigation attorney Michael V. Favia and his associates in several locations and disciplines, advise and represent private individuals as well as healthcare professionals in all types of litigation and administrative matters involving licensing and regulatory agencies.

Michael V. Favia and Associates, P.C. represents individual physicians and health care organizations in the Chicago area with a variety of legal matters. With offices conveniently located in the Chicago Loop, Northwest side and suburban meeting locations, you can schedule a discrete meeting with an attorney at your convenience and discretion. Michael V. Favia & Associates is available at (773) 631-4580. Please visit www.favialawfirm.com and feel free to “Like” the firm on Facebook and “Follow” the firm on Twitter. You can also review endorsements and recommendations for Michael V. Favia on his Avvo.com profile and on LinkedIn.

 

[i] Mount Regis Center website, Opiates – effects signs and symptoms

Health Practice Advisors Panel Discussion on Understandings (and Misunderstandings) of Addiction – Sept. 27 in Rosemont

Licensed healthcare professionals can also suffer and recover from opiate abuse and addiction

Opiate addiction is something that can sneak up on good people who might not realize they are becoming dependent on painkillers. People from all walks of life are prescribed an opiate or opioid narcotic for pain management following for injuries and chronic conditions. Like other addictions, an opiate use can turn into abuse and reliance on the drugs. Many people who suffer from opiate abuse and addiction report that they did not think they had a problem and would go for days without using opiates, assuming they were able to stop at any time.

Healthcare professionals may have a unique risk of opiate abuse and addiction

Physicians and healthcare professionals may be particularly likely to manage their own use of opiate narcotics and one day realize they are on the way to or are already hooked. For many, the opiates seem to sneak up on them without the user noticing anything because the neurotransmitters in the brain and the systems affected by opiate drugs are altered; the user is not thinking normally.

The healthcare industry can be notably stressful and physicians and professionals must be disciplined and resilient to that which might be too difficult for others to manage daily. Knowing you may be a tough doctor or nurse might give you the illusion that you may be in a better position to get the use of opiates under control, even though you might not be able to manage the addiction on your own.

The causes of opiate addiction are variable among several factors, some of which might not be within the control of the individual experiencing addiction.[i]

• Genetic: Some of us are pre-disposed to addiction through our genetic makeup. When immediate family members and close relatives have addictions, those close in relation are often more likely to also suffer from abuse and addiction. This is not always the case, however and within a family some may “have the gene” while others do not.

 

• Biological: Some of us naturally lack the endorphins necessary to trigger the right responses in our brains and central nervous systems, impacting our physiology. When introduced to our systems, certain people respond very well to opioids to remedy an underlying neurotransmitter deficit.

 

• Environmental: What we experience as children can significantly influence our likelihood of certain behaviors as adults. The children who grow up with substance abuse and addiction are more likely to use substances and are more prone to addiction themselves.

 

• Psychological: In the event one may be suffering from a mental illness or disorder, one may not be thinking clearly when using addictive narcotics to self-medicate other symptoms. There is a common correlation between mental health and propensity for addiction.

Opiate abuse and addiction can be cured and underlying causes and symptoms can be addressed.

Licensed professionals with their livelihood on the line may be more likely to cover up the use, abuse or addiction to opiates. The last thing any physician or nurse wants is to be questioned as to their fitness to practice. Individuals with addiction might be under the effects of narcotics to the extent that they are not making otherwise clear decisions, while some others may be better able to catch and cure a problem.

Too often people fear being looked at like a failure or a weak person. It is important to realize that opiate abuse and addiction is a temporary illness which may not have been avoidable based on causes that are not the healthcare professionals’ fault.

Being proactive with opiate abuse and addiction issues can save a healthcare professional’s career.

In many cases there are options for healthcare professionals to self-report a struggle with abuse or addiction. Being the first to notify your professional licensing and regulatory body, and with representation by a professional licensing attorney, physicians and nurses are likely to experience better results and a reduction in the risk of discipline or adverse action taken against them.

About us: Michael V. Favia & Associates, P.C. is a health law, litigation and licensing firm in Chicago representing individuals, healthcare professionals and organizations with civil legal matters as well as professional licensing and regulation.

Chicago health law and litigation attorney Michael V. Favia and his associates in several locations and disciplines, advise and represent private individuals as well as healthcare professionals in all types of litigation and administrative matters involving licensing and regulatory agencies.

Michael V. Favia and Associates, P.C. represents individual physicians and health care organizations in the Chicago area with a variety of legal matters. With offices conveniently located in the Chicago Loop, Northwest side and suburban meeting locations, you can schedule a discrete meeting with an attorney at your convenience and discretion. Michael V. Favia & Associates is available at (773) 631-4580. Please visit www.favialawfirm.com and feel free to “Like” the firm on Facebook and “Follow” the firm on Twitter. You can also review endorsements and recommendations for Michael V. Favia on his Avvo.com profile and on LinkedIn.

 

[i] Mount Regis Center website, Opiate Abuse & Addiction Effects, Signs & Symptoms.

Opioid Addiction: Issue spotting in workers’ compensation, addressing systemic abuse

When does workers’ compensation lead to addict’s compensation?

Painkillers are a big problem in the workers’ compensation industry. Many Americans are addicted to opioids and there are too many opportunities to fuel the fire of abuse. Workers’ compensation and the healthcare system are significant in causing an increasing amount of opioids in society. From a school librarian with an ankle sprain and a prescription to the street dealers selling oxycodone to high school kids planning to sell them at parties, most people know at least someone with an opioid experience.

While most responsible patients properly manage their recovery, carefully following care instructions, others are not so diligent. In too many cases, the most unlikely people find themselves becoming dependent, then addicted to painkillers. Many people who just need another refill, repeatedly, look like any other healthy friend, neighbor or family member.

When does workers’ compensation lead to addict’s compensation?

Pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma, Phizer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals produce and provide doctors, hospitals and pharmacies with oxycodone (OxyContin), morphine (Avinza) and fentanyl (Duragesic), respectively[i].   

Opioid addiction is an issue many health care administrators spot with increasing frequency. According to Joseph Paduda, principal of Health Strategies Associates, Inc., “There are more than 200,000 workers’ compensation claimants who have been on a high dose of opioids for more than six months. The vast majority of them are addicted.[ii]”

For many, a workers’ compensation claim, hospital visit and opioid prescription is a first-time experience. However, others know exactly what they are getting; get hurt and score. Paduda says, “The data indicates that about 19 percent of claimants who are prescribed opioids, when they’re tested, there’s no evidence of the drug in their urine. That means those opioids prescribed to workers’ comp claimants are getting in the hands of people who are going to use them for illicit purposes.[iii]”

Technology: Advances in healthcare processes make it easier to use the workers’ compensation system on a path to painkillers.

In days past, workers’ compensation claimants drove to their nearest workers’ compensation commission office to talk to staff about procedures, fill out paperwork and file a claim or obtain status information about their case. Today, the process is web-interactive and injured workers can learn all the information they need to file a claim online and update their case.

The data collection and information sharing systems used in the healthcare industry largely fell short in combating systemic abuse. In contrast, “a well-functioning workers’ compensation system allows insurance carries, state insurance funds, and self-insured entities to efficiently manage the core process of underwriting workers’ compensation policies and investigating and processing claims. Historically, these entities have faced a number of challenges in carrying out these functions, particularly in claims.[iv]”

New and improving software platforms and systems sharing information among qualified users can make it easier to spot patterns of abuse and anomalies in patient claims. As the healthcare and workers’ compensation industries adopt new technologies there should be tighter controls on the production, sale and distribution of painkillers; proactive abuse prevention is important to cutting off the supply to those addicted to morphine, oxycodone and all the other opiate drugs.

The Chicago law firm of Michael V. Favia & Associates and its affiliated Illinois Professional Licensing Consultants, work to keep everyone informed about news and resources in healthcare and workers’ compensation.

Michael V. Favia & Associates and the Illinois Professional Licensing Consultants, of whom Michael V. Favia is a primary attorney, are available to work with individuals interested in these matters. With offices conveniently located in the Chicago Loop, Northwest side and suburban meeting locations, an attorney will be able to assist at your convenience and discretion. For more about Michael V. Favia & Associates and their professional licensing work, please visit www.IL-Licensing.com and feel free to “Like” the firm on Facebook and “Follow” the firm on Twitter.

[i] FDA, Drug Safety Information By Drug Class, List of Extended-Release and long-Acting Opiod Products Required to Have an Opioid REMS.

[ii] Insurance Journal, Magazine Features, 10 Challenges Ahead for Workers’ Compensation, by Andrea Wells, May 5, 2014.

[iii] See HNii above

[iv] AASCIF.og, The Impact of Modern Technology on Workers’ Compensation Claims, by Sandy Leyva, Jan-Mar. 2006.