3 to 6 months after an accident, nearly 1 in 12 injuredworkers are still on their pain medication.
These medications can be dangerously addictive and habit forming, so the
medical community advocates strict guidelines for monitoring the use and misuse
of these pills by patients.
Unfortunately, it seems in over 21 states, there has been some lax
compliance with state guidelines.
In a recent study by the Worker’s Compensation Research
Institute entitled “Longer- Term Use of Opioids”, researchers found relatively
low medical compliance with guidelines intended to monitor and prevent long
term abuse of pain medications. Over
300,000 worker’s compensation claims and 1.1 million prescriptions were
analyzed in order to gauge the effectiveness of medical treatments and
guidelines over a 24 month period.
These included programs such as psychological evaluations
and drug testing. Failure to pick up on potential abuse and misuse of
prescription medications can result in an injured worker developing a dangerous
addiction. It is the medical community’s
intention to prevent addiction, abuse, overdose, and death, especially in
ailing workers.
Researchers Warn of
Low Medical Oversight
Medical professionals who don’t monitor their patients’
prescription pill usage do their patients a huge disservice. The goal of treatment should be to patch you
up, free you of pain, and get you back to work, if you’re able. But it seems some doctors have lost sight of
that goal.
The study’s findings call out particular attention to the
following:
·
Nearly 1 in 12 injured workers are still on pain
meds 3 to 6 months after their accident. This increased use of pain meds could
lead to disability, more time off work, addiction problems and risk to others.
·
Only an average of 24% of injured workers was
monitored by their doctors with drug testing to prevent and catch addiction in
patients.
·
Only an average of 4- 7 % of long term narcotics
users were offered psychological treatment services to prevent addiction and
assess the effect these drugs had on disabled workers.
If You Have Been
Injured and Still Take Pain Medication
Pain medication can be highly addictive. If you’re still feeling the effects of pain 6
months after your accident, it’s possible that you should seek other pain
management methods. Consult your physician
regarding your pain management options.
Discuss methods to relieve your pain that would eliminate the risk of
chemical dependency and addiction.
If you are still suffering in pain and you haven’t gotten the
assistance you need, you may want to talk to an attorney and discuss yourrights. The clock is ticking, so you don’t
want to wait.
