Prescription Pain Relievers on the Rise in Germany, Opioid Increase

Prescription pain relievers are on the up in Germany.

More and more opioids, drugs most commonly prescribed as pain pills that contain natural or synthetic chemicals based on morphine, the active component of opium, are being prescribed for pain.

Ingrid Schubert, Peter Ihle and Rainer Sabatowski came to this conclusion after studying a sample of inhabitants of the state of Hesse with health insurance from a large statutory provider that is published in the latest issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.

The amount of people reported to have received opioids increased between 2000 and 2010, as well as the number of daily doses per recipient. 3.7 million inhabitants of Germany have reportedly received opioids in 2010, which is a million more than in 2000. The frequency of those received in non cancer patients is also on the rise. 

As these narcotics effectively mimic the pain-relieving chemicals that the body produces naturally, according to Psychology Today, prescribing the correct amount of the product is essential to a patient's well-being. As the study was conducted with the intention to improve pain treatment with opioids, particularly for patients with cancer, the amount of medicine prescribed per person can be a delicate process. Prescribing too little can result in an inadequate alleviation of pain, while supplying too much entails the risk of addiction, especially in patients who do not have cancer. 

In any case, the saying "no pain, no gain," might be true for some, but certainly not for some in Deutschland. 

To find out more about the study, click here.