While there is no doubt that abuse and misuse of prescription pain medication is a critical public health issue as outlined in a recent editorial ("OxyContin in suburbia," July 31), there is another public health issue that, unfortunately, is seldom reported on. Chronic pain affects more than 116 million Americans — more than the number of people who have cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently estimated chronic pain costs the nation up to $635 billion annually in medical treatment and lost productivity.
For many people, opioids are an integral part of a comprehensive pain management plan to help relieve their pain, restore functioning and improve the quality of their life. They are not taking their medication to get "high" but to alleviate their suffering so they can have some sense of normalcy in their lives — performing household tasks, holding their babies or working to provide for their families.
Criminal behavior, not pain medication, is the culprit for the rising problem of drug abuse in communities throughout the country. Like any medication, opioids have benefits and risks. In general, these medications are safe and effective when properly prescribed and taken as directed, and the likelihood of addiction is low unless a patient has a past or current personal history of substance abuse.
Systematic and targeted approaches are essential to addressing the growing prevalence and complexity of prescription drug abuse, but these approaches must not impede access to pain care for people with legitimate medical needs.
Tina Regester, Bel Air
The writer is communications manager for the American Pain Foundation.