Question

A patient called the office complaining his hydromorphone prescription was not honored at the pharmacy. The patient stated, "The doctor gave me this prescription six weeks ago when I was in the office." The prescription was denied because it is a schedule

Answer 1

A hydromorphone prescription was denied likely due to its status as a controlled substance. The opioid crisis traces back to the false marketing of painkillers as non-addictive in the 1990s, escalating misuse and prompting individuals to seek dangerous alternatives when prescriptions became scarce.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient's complaint regarding the denial of a hydromorphone prescription is linked to it being a controlled substance, falling under a class of highly regulated medications due to their potential for abuse and addiction. Opioid medications, such as Oxycodone, Vicodin, and methadone, among others, have been widely prescribed for pain, but their misuse has led to a significant increase in addiction and overdose deaths. The crisis began in the 1990s with pharmaceutical companies marketing these drugs as non-addictive, which was misleading, as physiological addiction can develop in less than a week. This has had devastating consequences, including a healthcare worker who became addicted and was caught tampering with medication, leading to patients contracting HIV. Additionally, aggressive policing and reformulation of drugs resulted in a scarcity and higher street prices for prescription pain pills, prompting a migration toward cheaper and more dangerous alternatives like heroin and fentanyl. Florida, in particular, became a hotspot for over-prescription and illegal distribution, contributing to what was known as 'The OxyContin Express'.